Underneath Our Masks
by OpheliacAngel
Summary: Faery AU. Ruby is a faery who is the Seelie Queen's most trusted adviser. While on a reckless trip to Earth, Ruby is tortured by humans until a sympathetic one stumbles upon her and frees her. From then on, neither faery or human will be the same. Full summary inside. Written for SPN Femslash Mini-Bang. Ruby/Bela with Dean/Gabriel on the side. Cover art done by ms doomandgloom.


**LJ Username: **Ivory_Angel99

**Title: **Underneath Our Masks

**Pairing(s): **Ruby/Bela, Gabriel/Dean, Bela/Abaddon (One-sided), Ruby/Meg (past)

**Rating: **Teen

**Wordcount: **27518

**Summary: **Faery AU. Ruby is a faery who is the Seelie Queen's most trusted adviser, spending much of her time running errands and maintaining her queen's honor. While on a reckless trip to Earth, Ruby is tortured by humans until a sympathetic one stumbles upon her and frees her. Ruby returns to the Seelie Court convinced she will never see the human, Bela, again; however, barely more than a day later she stumbles into Ruby's own dangerous world with a favor to ask, and unknowingly captures and warms the faery's neglected heart. Searching for a way to get Bela back home, Ruby has to protect her from those that would seek to harm her while also making the biggest decision of her existence: going against her own kind or letting Bela perish in the world she once called home.

**Warnings/Kinks: **Faery AU, Some language and violence, Mentions of torture, Minor Character Death

**A/N: **Written for SPN Femslash Mini-Bang. I've never written an AU before, so this was definitely a challenge for me. The incredibly beautiful art was done by ms_doomandgloom (with one of the five pieces being shown as the cover art here). Please go check out her journal to see the rest of it (the link is on my profile page). You can also find this on AO3 with the art included in the story (also on my profile).

* * *

><p>There was pain, only <em>pain<em>, a pain that made her existence seem small and incomplete and worthless.

Ruby opened her burning eyes at the voice that had ceased the attention the human boys were giving her. The night around her was dark but the figure that came up upon her tortured form unmissable. It was a human woman holding a weapon of some sort, pointing it at her captors. Her sharp, hazel eyes wavered between the boys and the faery entirely at their mercy.

She was truly beautiful for a human: long, dark hair spilling past her shoulders and framing her face like a halo; soft features calling out to her as if in a dream, remanding her of the things her kind held beloved; and the way she held herself, as if this wasn't the first time she had stood up for another. The way she held Ruby so completely with her gaze spoke a million and one things to her. The sympathy in her eyes was desired, but the empathy was too surprising for words.

The faery never took her eyes off of her, at the mesmerizing figure that was the only thing standing between her own life and death. She knew in that first instant that she was saved, that she would be in the human's debt greatly. That didn't matter to her though, not as much as the urge to protect the human did.

Bela Talbot was the name of the human who had saved her life that night.

Despite owing her the greatest of favors, Ruby never expected that her name would be wound around her from that moment on.

_Earlier - _

Ruby woke up early in order to make sure she could get everything done before the queen's ball that night. That one day was the most important of the year, for it was the queen's birthday and while Ruby couldn't quite remember her age - knew she didn't have to given it would be plastered on plenty of banners before the event was through - all she could manage to think about was how many years it had been since her risky transfer to the Seelie Court, put together abruptly yet gracefully by her current queen.

When it was over, Ruby finally relaxed again; she had never been much for festivities. Instead of falling asleep at dawn, she stole an hour or two in the late hours of the party in some broom closet or other and then awakened at dawn. The queen had already returned to her chambers, giving Ruby no further instruction as to what would be required of her that day, leaving Ruby with the errands not completed the day prior.

While most fey were nocturnal, being one of the Seelie Queen's most trusted advisers ensured she could and most likely would be up at any time of the day or night. She would get sleep when she could, not much caring when it was or how frequently given she absolutely hated to sleep and would rather be out and about.

Being one of the queen's most-trusted didn't come lightly and also didn't entitle her to a mere few roles. She would not only offer advice when it was requested and even when it was not, such was the queen's respect for her, but she would do things that weren't even asked for or hadn't been asked for yet.

Trust was essential, of course, but even more important to her kind was honor. Ruby was entrusted to maintain her queen's honor at any cost and at every moment it was called for. She excelled at her responsibilities, knowing her success would paint her queen in the best light. She had been kind to Ruby at a time when she had needed it the most, when she had needed a way out of her past life. Rhoslyn had seen her potential and had secretly recruited her, planning her escape and taking her under her wing.

The only price to pay was personally ensuring every desire the queen had would be given to her, every thought paid attention to and carefully considered, and every look a clear representation of what was to be done in a situation. Ruby had learned to read her so perfectly that she scarcely needed a look to know precisely what her queen demanded.

It was her job, after all, and Ruby was quite good at her job.

She was no doubt the most loyal, and that was what made her the perfect candidate for the job. While Rhoslyn was capable, cunning and clever, she was also generous, gracious and gregarious, the latter especially making the Seelie fond of her.

Ruby smiled at the light filtering through her filmy window, slipped on much less restricting clothes and headed off to the kitchen. She couldn't work on an empty stomach, not to mention the menu for the banquet that late afternoon had to be seen to. She shivered as she walked through the empty, cold hallway, but it had nothing to do with the temperature. Her last queen, Abaddon, who she had served under as close as seven years ago, had sent her on unsettling jobs that had to be completed in a less than fair time-period.

She had had to kill fey slowly, had to trick humans to fall into traps and sell them as pets to some of the most terrible fey she had ever laid eyes on. Everyone respected her because of her status as the queen's go-to faery for difficult errands, but they all looked at her and knew her heart was never in it. She had never been good at being evil, had never felt pride or potential or happiness until the day she had met her current queen by chance.

From the moment she had lain eyes on her, she who already knew of her deeds, Ruby knew her life would never be the same.

It had both terrified and excited her all at once.

The kitchen was vast and its sheer enormity always hit her right in the face when it was completely empty, which she didn't get to see much considering its usual chaos, its staff either whipping something up for a party or hanging at the every whim of those who lived at court and demanded something every other minute. For the Seelie, food wasn't only sustenance but a symbol of status and a way to have fun. There would be dozens of new recipes a day to try out of boredom. Ruby loved food but wasn't as obsessed with it as everyone else was.

She could never turn down a dish from her best friend though.

He was turned away from her but she could recognize that voice and that grin anywhere. He knew food better than anyone else and prided himself on always being able to not only please, but also excite, shock and amaze.

Being the first friend she had made after arriving at the Seelie Court, he would always be the faery she could go to and talk to about anything.

"The Queen send you here for a new dish?"

She hopped up on one of the counters, knowing full well he hated it, and popped some sort of fruit in her mouth, grimacing at its unexpected sour taste. Gabriel eyed her carefully, always able to tell when something was on her mind.

"What's up, Rubes?"

She shrugged, "Nothing. Just figured I should get up early to get a head start. Where is everyone anyway?"

"Gave 'em the morning off, they deserved it after yesterday. Cas is out getting some supplies while I finish up the first course."

Ruby spotted the menu on the counter beside her and picked it up, analyzing every detail and ingredient carefully. After several minutes of careful inspection, she put it down and watched Gabriel again. Watching Gabriel nitpick the menu here and there and prepare food was probably the most relaxing experience for her. Just watching him bustle about the kitchen, insulting everyone else and having her sample food, got her to think about how much her life had changed and just how much she loved her new one.

"I think we better switch the dessert to a strawberry tart. She complained of too many blueberries last night."

Gabriel nodded, making a mark on the menu and taking a bowl of strawberries out of the refrigerator. "Thinking about taking the day off tomorrow." It was amazing how he could multi-task, talking about anything and everything and still managing not to mess up a dish. "You're free to come with me if you want, especially since I can't get Cassie to go with me. He's such a bump on a log, really, I'm getting sick of it."

Castiel, Gabriel's brother, wasn't much for cooking and traveling, or honestly anything Gabriel was into, which left Ruby as the one Gabriel turned to on a daily basis.

"Maybe" Ruby responded. "It depends how much I can get done today, and if Rhoslyn will let me have it."

"Oh, come on, don't get all sulky sally on me now. You know she'll let you go. She probably can't even remember the last time you took a day off."

Ruby thought about that for a second, trying to remember the last time she even _thought _about taking some time off, let alone going through with it. To be honest, even if she took time off she didn't know what she would do or where she would go. She had always wanted to travel through the portal to reach Earth, but that was completely out of the question and she knew it. Not only was it too dangerous there considering the humans that knew of her existence and the Unseelie Court's perpetual travel there, but her queen would find out and would definitely have her head for it.

"Ruby? Hey, earth to Ruby!"

She lifted her head up, "Sorry, spaced out for a minute there."

Gabriel sighed, knowing full well the burdens that plagued her but loving her all the same. "Just eat something before you leave."

"I will." She stole a bowl of something off the counter and gave Gabriel a quick kiss on the cheek before she left. "Be back later, hopefully when breakfast is ready." Her friend looked worried about her but she ignored it, knowing she had no time to explain her state of mind.

Her early start had nothing to do with a non-existent list of things that had to be done that day. No, there was only one thing she had put off and wished more than anything that she could put off for longer.

Going to the Unseelie Court wasn't her best idea of spending a day.

* * *

><p>No doubt as soon as she stepped within ten feet of her land, Abaddon already knew of her presence and was preparing for her. Ruby wasn't terrified exactly, after all, she couldn't be touched while she was on one of her queen's personal errands. As much as the two queens hated each other, they also showed as much respect as was necessary and managed to have enough decency not to insult each other by form of action. Any faeries not in court were of no concern, but as long as Ruby was adviser to the queen than she wouldn't be harmed.<p>

She half-expected Abaddon to come out and greet her as soon as her foot touched their unholy ground, blackened and burnt as far as the eye could see, but she wasn't surprised when she realized she had chosen to remain on her tarnished throne.

This wasn't the first time she had come back, Rhoslyn had sent her only once before, knowing just how much she hated it. She could have rebelled and flat out said no, but they did have to keep on good terms with the Unseelie Court, as much as the Seelie may have hated them, and Ruby figured that if anyone could help them keep on good terms it would be her.

She may have run away, but she knew them better than even her own queen did. Knew their tricks and their sinful ways and their ever-expanding list of human trophies and pets.

It sickened her and it made her feel incredible guilt over her decision to leave rather than stay and help. The Unseelie Court was beyond help, she tried to tell herself, but saying those words only worked for so long.

A dark figure stepped out from underneath the shadow of a tree and Ruby froze for a second. She walked closer when she got a better look; she would recognize those messy, slight curls from anywhere.

"How have things been, Meg?"

Meg finally stepped into full view and smiled, sharp white teeth seeming to illuminate the space around and between the two of them. "Oh, you know, so-so. Things have never been quite the same since you left. There's not much fun to be had anymore when we can't ruffle up your feathers a little, sweet cakes."

"Things must be pretty good for you now, considering you were the one to get my job. Tell me, Meggins, does Abaddon adore you as much as she adored me?"

Meg sent her a glare at that but chose not to come at her given their history. Back when Ruby was still kicking ass and taking names in the Unseelie Court, Meg had risen up from the ranks to prove herself to her and it hadn't taken much time before they fell for one another. It was never true love for a second, Ruby knew that even before she began. What they had was strictly distraction and blessed heat, a means for Ruby to feel in control and yet feel safe handing over the reins to another for a short period of time.

Meg had started to get far too comfortable with her new life however, using Ruby's status to her advantage and getting way in over her head. She may have caught Abaddon's attention at the time, but Ruby was far more capable and responsible than Meg and no doubt her prior queen was finding that out the hard way.

Seeing Meg again brought up painful memories of a time where she considered herself to be happy. Meg was still beautiful, all curves and sass, but she no longer had the power to get Ruby riled up anymore. She'd moved on, all strength and indifference, yet she still didn't want to throw that in her face.

"I'm your personal escort, sweetheart. As soon as I get you there the sooner you can get the fuck out."

Ruby grinned, "With pleasure."

Rather than walk side-by-side as they used to do, Ruby walked behind Meg, acknowledging her lack of status in the lands of the Unseelie, trying to keep up with her hurried pace.

The palace was the same as Ruby had left it: dark, filthy with dust, and grim.

Ruby instantly missed the bright colors of the Seelie Court: the green grass and the gardens filled with a multitude of flowers in every color imaginable, the cherry red walls of her room and the golden ones of the dining room and hallways, and the gorgeous dresses adorned with a wide array of flowers and misshapen, twisted designs. It was a world of light and color and happiness, where laughter was always just around the corner if not closer, and smiles were a common form of currency.

The Unseelie Court was the exact opposite in every way and more. There was no life held within its cold walls, no good intentions or good natured promises or wistful daydreams. The thick air reeked of blood and despair and malice, nearly causing Ruby to choke. Living there had been unbearable, yet Ruby had not just been forced to live there, but to thrive there with seemingly no means of escape. They said that anyone that came into the Unseelie Court became a part of it so perfectly that not even fire could separate the two barely distinguishable entities. What made the Unseelie Court what it was were those that called the royal court or the lands their home. A purging... a massacre was what was needed.

Too bad it would never happen.

Luckily, she held back her distaste well enough given Abaddon was striding into the room. She looked even colder than usual, businesslike and with a cruel gaze sent towards Ruby. "What does Rhoslyn want now? Haven't we all given her enough attention?" She took a seat on her throne made almost entirely out of human parts, mainly arms and legs but with skulls as adornments. The metal was tarnished in places and rusted in others, and it represented all too well a kingdom that had fallen apart.

Ruby waited until the laughter stopped before she cleared her throat and spoke. The palace still threatened her, but she could deal with it and hopefully get the hell out afterward. "My queen has sent me to request that you sign the treaty." She said my queen because she wanted it to sting, but there was no flicker of anything on Abaddon's carefully drawn features.

The Unseelie Queen's grin only widened, "And if I stall for another century or so?"

"Then I guess I'll be coming by a lot more often." Ruby was amazed at how well she was able to get words out, feeling smug given Meg was barely two feet away from her.

The queen gave her a look of boredom. "I do enjoy seeing you, Ruby. You always will be my finest protege." Ruby didn't look over at Meg again, already picturing the death glare perfectly without any help. "However, I would appreciate no further disruptions to our schedule."

The only schedule Abaddon ever ran had to do with her hair; Ruby wanted to giggle at that fact but the mood was far too dark for that. She was extremely grateful she had not giggled when Abaddon stepped down from her throne and wrapped her hand around Ruby's neck, her terrible breath coating Ruby's aura. Abaddon's lipstick was the exact shade of blood as she smiled, but Ruby trained herself not to flinch or even pull back an inch.

She couldn't lose that battle.

"I love your hair, by the way. It seems much darker than when we last met." Abaddon ran her fingers through several loose strands and Ruby couldn't hold back a shiver. "Your skills would be put to much better use if you still worked for me. Considering you don't though, I'm going to have to give _you _an ultimatum. Come back within thirty days and give me something that I want, then we'll talk more about your queen's little arrangement."

She turned her back on Ruby then and walked out of the room.

Ruby didn't say one word to Meg as she escorted her out, and she most certainly did not look back.

* * *

><p>She had no idea what to tell Rhoslyn, but she definitely knew she didn't want to say a thing until it was all said and done with, until she had found an item Abaddon could not procure elsewhere, a item that she wanted. Considering the few things Abaddon desired, Ruby was already set up to fail; she couldn't screw it up though, there was too much on the line.<p>

Surely having connections had to mean something, she had been in the Unseelie Court for much of her life. If she couldn't solve the problem, then no one could; she told herself that as she sat down to a late breakfast with the queen.

Rhoslyn was going over paperwork, which was just fine with Ruby since she was still trying to figure out how to put their current predicament into words. Rhoslyn was a lot smarter than she looked, so chances are that if Ruby just told her what was going on then she would be able to solve it. She couldn't go through with it though, no matter how many times she opened her mouth she just couldn't get any words out. It was hell, sitting there like that, wondering what she was doing there in the first place.

"Can I have the day off tomorrow?" She blurted out, deciding she wouldn't come to Rhoslyn until she was desperate.

The queen stared at her quietly for several moments, her gaze calculating but also innocently curious. Ruby wasn't afraid, but she had no idea what she would say. Ruby couldn't exactly hide her nervousness, or slight fear, or really anything for that matter.

"What about Abaddon?"

"I've figured it all out, trust me."

She didn't though, it was all gonna turn out to be some huge disaster, and she would be the one who blew it way out of proportion.

"Of course," she smiled, a sweet smile that had Ruby leaning back into her chair slightly, able to breathe again. What she really needed was a day to think everything through, and maybe even Gabriel could give her some ideas; he certainly was annoyingly inventive at times. "Take several days off if you must, your friend as well. We'll survive here without you for a short while, Ruby."

Ruby couldn't tell whether Rhoslyn was annoyed or merely joking around with her; either way, she received permission and could hardly get out of the room fast enough. She stood up slowly, bowing before her queen before exiting through the small, hidden door that was actually a secret passageway into the kitchen.

Gabriel was currently packing up his things, about to head home for the night. "Hey, Ru..."

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" She asked him hurriedly, hanging onto his next word.

Gabriel's smile made her feel alive and worth something again.

* * *

><p>They left several hours before dawn, Ruby slinging Gabriel's backpack over her shoulder and wincing at the weight pressed upon her. "What the hell have you got in here? The entire freaking kitchen?"<p>

Gabriel chuckled, helping her to adjust the backpack. "Nah, just a few essentials is all. You never know what we're gonna need on the road."

Ruby snorted but ended up following him, her boots digging into the soft earth beneath her feet. They could have just as easily flown, but she liked to walk and so did Gabriel. Court was so fast-paced that all Ruby wanted when she got out was to slow down and enjoy everything around her.

As slow as her pace was though, Ruby's mind was racing with thoughts of Abaddon, Meg, Rhoslyn and the future state of her new family. Every time she looked at Gabriel she knew she would do whatever it took to protect him. She had never had a friend like him back at the Unseelie Court, and she vowed never to betray his friendship, let him down or harm him in any way. He was important to her.

She smiled up at the sun. Faeries may be primarily nocturnal beings, but she had enjoyed to love the sun perhaps as much as any human could. It was beautiful, the way it would peek out from behind the trees and the heat it left behind on her skin, making her feel alive and almost powerful in a way.

Realizing she had fallen behind her friend, she ran to catch up with him. "I was thinking that we might do something different today." They had recently stepped out from underneath the cover of the trees and now the sun was lighting up Ruby's form entirely, her wings stretching comfortably. She felt warm and revitalized and brand new. She felt daring and confident and ready for absolutely anything.

Gabriel turned to her, a mischievous look on his face, "Like what?

"Like going to Earth."

Gabriel laughed at that, shaking his head in amusement until he noticed how serious she looked. "Wait a minute... you're serious?" Ruby studied his face and noticed that he looked surprised, but not scared or angry or anything like that. If she were to ask anyone to accompany her, it would be him. This was the perfect opportunity, because if there was anything Abaddon wanted then it was a human. Since Ruby wouldn't ever bring her a human, something human-made would have to work.

She grinned at him even though she was feeling slightly queasy inside. "You're damn right I am. We've got a few days off, let's have some fun."

"You really want to do this?"

She was one-hundred percent sure that Gabriel wouldn't think better of it and say no. He was always ready for an adventure, even if it meant going to the one place even more dangerous than the Unseelie Court. Much of the Seelie Court was fascinated with humans but never acted on that obsessive interest, knowing better than to try to confront them in their own world. For Gabriel there never really were any rules, and Ruby felt exactly the same way. You couldn't abide by rules if you wanted to get things done.

Ruby shrugged, "Why not? We've always thought about it but never really talked about it. So let's not talk about it and just do it." She knew she was being impulsive, putting him in danger for her own selfish need to have him by her side. She couldn't really help it though, being alone was never Ruby's strong point.

"I think you're right." Gabriel wrapped his arm around her and pulled her towards him. "Let's go have some fun."

Ruby truly hoped she was making the right move.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before they came across the cave whose steps would lead them upward and then into the realm of the humans. Ruby was nervous, biting her fingernails whenever she wasn't grasping onto the vines for support as she ascended the difficult to see steps. Gabriel led the way, his aura purer than hers which allowed his partially outstretched wings to cast more light. He flexed them slightly, extending them further inch by inch. Ruby kept hers tucked away, not wanting to have to remember to tuck them away when they left their own world completely.<p>

"I think we're almost there," Gabriel spoke softly, glancing behind him to see how Ruby was coming along. "Cling to me if you're scared, kiddo." Ruby rolled her eyes at that but ultimately chose to stick closer to him, hoping his confidence would dissipate her fears.

They rose not even two minutes later into startlingly bright moonlight, the night quiet around them save for the occasional groan of the trees as the wind whipped through them. Gabriel was more confident than she had expected; as soon as he retracted his translucent amber wings he started forward, heading where his instincts guided him.

Ruby caught up with him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you think we should slow down a little? I mean, we don't even know where we're going."

"Untwist your panties, Rubes. You're the one who wanted to do this, so don't expect me to be all hesitant about it."

"I'm just saying," she hissed quietly, unsure of who could be around, "we shouldn't be rushing into this." Despite her insistence Gabriel brushed her off, which was typical behavior for him. He never did heed any warnings, not even if they were for his own good, _especially _not when they were designed to protect him.

"So, you gonna start bouncing ideas off me? 'Cause you've been pretty vague about Lil' Miss Red."

Ruby sighed, keeping an eye on their surroundings as she fell into place beside him. "When I worked for the high and mighty queen, there was never anything she wanted other than to get her way and have fun. She spent her days arranging cage fights and and human auctions. She doesn't have many possessions, I know that much, so other than giving her a human I really don't know what the hell I'm supposed to get her."

Gabriel thought about that for a second, his silence putting Ruby even more on edge. "You could get her something valuable to a human."

She glanced at him strangely, "Like what? Have you been spying on humans without my approval?"

He chuckled, "No. There are things that are important to us, Ruby. Honor, friendship and loyalty are just a few of them. Humans tend to value inanimate objects over values. Get her something that means something to a human, something that gains its power from being valued by a human."

"You're a hell of a lot smarter than you look, Gabe." Despite her friend's seriousness, it didn't sound like something that would work. Whatever Abaddon wanted, it wasn't something that Ruby would give her willingly.

"Which is why I am leaving you for a few in order to keep your head where it needs to be." Ruby opened her mouth in order to protest, but Gabriel put a hand over her mouth. "Uh uh, I've got things I need to do, and just maybe I can score something for you in the process." He gave her one last look before he walked off in the opposite direction they had been headed, mumbling one last thing before he disappeared entirely. "There are just some ingredients that you can't get back at home."

Ruby was more annoyed than angered at the fact that he was abandoning her, but she quickly brushed it off as she headed into what she expected was the closest town. She didn't want to be on Earth for too long; despite the fact that faeries pretty much excelled over humans at everything, whether it was intelligence, cunning or strength, that didn't mean that humans weren't dangerous. In fact, it meant the exact opposite, it meant that she would be heavily outnumbered against humans who might know more than they were supposed to.

It was rumored that there were still humans out there who knew about the existence of the fey. Some might be friends, sure, but others were enemies that believed all fey were evil creatures created to wreak havoc upon humans and their world. It would do no good to convince them otherwise, anything that wasn't human was considered a threat.

Ruby knew more about humans than most. Abaddon's appetite for and genuinely obsessive interest in them had led her to gain some fascination of her own. She may have never dared a venture to Earth before, but she had spent much of her existence reading up on the affairs and interests of humans. Not only that, but Abaddon had acquired a few of her own as pets, as well as a small number of the Court. Ruby had scarcely been able to study them or talk to them, but there had been unforgettable instances.

She didn't know where those human slaves were now, or if they were even still alive, but Ruby preferred not to think about the unsettling memories. Telling Gabriel had been difficult for a long time, but she had eventually shared most of her earlier life with him, much to his appreciation.

The faery wracked her brain for something a human would truly treasure. Jewelry, books, weapons - it all seemed so foreign and so hopeless to her. Fey treasured human things that were nothing but trivial to an actual human. Humans were known for maintaining an endless cycle of forming and breaking friendships, and centered their whole lives around relationships, but how could you capture love?

She started to feel weak but didn't think much of anything given her general anxiety over being where she was, not to mention the current situation Abaddon had put her in. By the time she realized that something was really _off_, it was already too late.

A pair of arms grabbed her from behind and she struggled, managing to get them off of her. She didn't continue to walk forward, fearing the amount of iron would only increase, but she didn't turn around either, instead making a split decision and heading left. She ran, as fast as her legs could take her, which wasn't fast enough unfortunately. She had already been weakened too greatly for that, certainly enough to not be able to depend on her wings.

That had been the goal.

* * *

><p>Ruby drifted in and out of consciousness, having no strength or willpower in her to cling onto sanity. It was over, she knew it, and she felt ashamed and stupid for even coming to where she certainly didn't belong in the first place. The amount of iron was too much, peeling away layer after layer of memory and given the pain, probably flaying her alive as well. She knew she was on the ground, arms restraining her, hands wielding iron and various other instruments to torture her. Normally, human weapons wouldn't cause harm to her form, but with the iron tearing away at her, there was little damage they couldn't do.<p>

She moaned, grasping weakly at the hands holding her down. She could hear laughter and her eyes drifted upward slowly in order to focus on the moon, to try to pull some of its light into her rapidly diminishing form. But there was nothing she could do, the iron was too much and the pain too great, and the methods of escape too far away for her to grasp onto. A bar of iron pressed into her skin and it was all she could do to hold back a scream.

"I would advise you to take your hands off of her and back off."

Ruby swore the voice was a dream, what must have been a very vivid one given the unmistakable, thick British accent that cut through her weak curses and the draining images in her head. She fell further back against the unrelenting bodies of her captors, fearing her eyes would never again find the strength to open.

"Or what?" The second voice sounded much softer, scared even. Ruby managed to pry her eyes open to take in what she was suspecting more and more wasn't a dream.

The face that greeted her was an angel's, an angel who currently had a weapon pointed at the humans holding her. Her dark hair was tangled and fell in front of her face, nearly obscuring her eyes if they hadn't been so beautiful, bright hazel eyes that shone in the night like beacons of light. Ruby held onto them, held onto the image of _her_. It was the last thing she had left.

"Or I start shooting," the angel who was actually a human shot Ruby a look, and if the faery was thinking clearly she was almost certain she would be able to decipher it. Maybe another time... "And we'll see who's left standing when I'm done." Her voice was strong and confident, no-nonsense, and Ruby clung to that too, clung to a human who didn't even know her for _hope_.

The hands miraculously left her and she almost cried out as she sank down into the grass, the slightest movement painful given her increasingly fragile form. She told herself to start crawling - anything in order to get away from some of the iron - as her once captors ran off and silence engulfed her quickly, but no matter how much she strained herself, nothing happened and she felt utterly useless.

She merely laid there then, waiting for death.

A slight shadow fell over her and her eyes snapped open immediately. She had almost forgot...

"Let's get you out of here, shall we?" Through the haze her eyesight was quickly becoming, Ruby could just barely make out a hand held out for her to take. Rather than wading through hesitation and panic, she focused entirely on her hand, wanting more than anything to grasp it. Her finger moved somehow, yet her savior must have realized that was a miracle in itself. The human held two hands out then, "Will you allow me?"

Ruby tried to nod before remembering that she couldn't move her head enough to. The look she gave her must have said enough though, for the human secured her hands under her arms and pulled her upward, almost stumbling under Ruby's weight.

Another human came up to Ruby then, a male one, and she wanted to protest but the female she was straining to make out clearly reassured her. "It's okay. This is Dean, he's here to help."

"What she said," he responded, taking Ruby's full weight from her easily and immediately starting to drag her back from where she came. Ruby, intensely embarrassed and even angry at herself for being put in this situation, couldn't do much but stare up at the moon as she was dragged for what felt like several hours.

Gabriel was there when she made it back, eyes going wide at the sight of her. "What the hell happened?" His voice was demanding of Ruby even though she couldn't move, let alone speak, though he still took her from the human named Dean without an answer.

Once she was out from underneath the influence of the iron, she felt her strength returning to her slowly but surely. She could breathe a helluva lot easier, and not only that, but she was also able to see her savior a lot more clearly, taking note of just how beautiful she was desperate her disheveled appearance. She took a good, long look at her, knowing it was her first and fearing it would be her last.

"I'm okay," she breathed out, panting through the quickly receding pain and pushing away Gabriel's supportive hands. "Just need to let myself readjust."

Gabriel seemed to sense that her savior and her friend weren't threats, but he backed off a little anyway, particularly eyeing the human who had dragged her. It took Ruby a minute or two to glance away from the female, but when she did she noticed Gabriel's complete lack of attention on her. She shot him a glare, reinforcing it when he finally looked her over.

She wanted to get back home and was fully prepared to voice her desire, but then she realized that she really wanted to know the name of the human who had saved her, even if she would most likely never see her again. She was in her debt, after all.

"Thank you for saving me. I didn't expect such kindness from a human." The last word came out wrong, but she quickly swallowed down her guilt and continued. "I realize that I owe you, but I was wondering if you would grant me one more favor..."

"Bela." She smiled at Ruby's startled look, "My name is Bela Talbot. I won't ask for yours, since you and I both know that I can use it against you."

"It's Ruby," she said before she could stop herself, knowing she'd probably regret it later on but not caring much given that trance-like moment. "And I know you won't use it against me." She was being careless and stupid, and Gabriel would later give her a much needed lecture on her decision, but with the way Bela was looking at her she wanted to give her everything and deny her nothing.

It's not just that she saved her life, Ruby felt the desire to know her, to _protect _her. With one word, she would give up all her secrets and those of her Court. Gabriel, probably sensing her undoing, grabbed her hand and pulled her further away from the two humans, finally placing full attention on his family instead of a new interest.

She broke eye-contact with Bela - regretfully - in order to put her full attention on her family as well.

"Don't forget, Ruby, you still owe me a favor."

Bela's voice echoed after her as she and Gabriel made their way down into the cave, both resisting the temptation to glance back, even if only for just a moment. Who knew Bela's parting words could sound so sweet?

It wasn't just that either, they sounded like a promise that Ruby would be determined to keep.

* * *

><p>Ruby had never been around humans before that moment to have a reason to fear iron: the greatest weakest of her kind. She finally understood why most fey were so terrified of it to never venture to Earth. Iron not only severely weakened fey, but depending on the dose it was also life-threatening. If Ruby had been exposed for another ten minutes, she wouldn't have made it. Her last breath would have been choked, and the last thing remembered would have been human hands on her, human hands designed to maim her.<p>

Not all humans were dangerous, but some knew full well the effects iron had on the fey and Ruby had witnessed it first hand. She would never forget the initial disorientation and then the pain, sharp and unrelenting, starting in her head, making her feel like she was going to explode, and lastly traveling to her chest once it had reached every other part of her form, settling deep down inside her, suffocating her.

Bela had saved her life, it was as simple as that, except Ruby knew full well that what Bela had done for her wasn't simple at all. She had risked her life to save a faerie that she had no certainty wasn't dangerous to her and her friend. She had saved her without knowing her, without ever having seen her before.

It made no sense, but Ruby knew she couldn't dwell on it. As much as she needed to repay Bela for her kindness, she had no intention of going back to Earth. She had to put past events behind her and focus on what was at stake in her own slowly but certainly falling apart world.

She would never see Bela again, and even though the thought caused her to ache she had to accept it.

Gabriel forced her to take the next day off so she could rest in his summer home. He didn't use it much, either overworking because he was bored or because he wanted to be around her, but Ruby couldn't express how grateful she was to be able to clear her head away from the pressures of court. It meant she was dwelling over what had happened, but at least Gabriel was there to try to take her mind off of Bela, annoying but appreciated in his determination.

He had apologized to her too many times to count, which was a feat in itself given Gabriel had serious problems apologizing to anyone, expressing that he never _ever _made mistakes, but she supposed that his guilt was justified given she was two seconds away from being killed.

Succumbing to the iron would have been a torture that Ruby wouldn't wish on anyone, not even her worst enemies. She had been moments away from praying for some other death when the magnificent Bela had arrived, like some avenging angel prepared to kill for her. No matter what, she wouldn't be able to get that stunning image out of her head. Even afterward, Bela had been flirting with her and no one could have missed that.

"I can't get my mind off of it either, Rubes. I'm just happy you're okay. I would have kissed that Bela if I hadn't had my head so far up my ass."

Ruby smiled up at him, swirling the spoon around in her bowl. She had far bigger problems to worry about and they both knew it, yet the only thing she could think about was Bela, and by the distant look in Gabriel's eyes that was all he could think about too, or rather, the other human Bela had brought along with her.

"We should probably head back tomorrow," Ruby sighed heavily. "You know how fast word travels."

"What makes you think anyone even knows about it?"

"Keeping secrets?" Ruby shook her head in both shame and disappointment, "It's not possible here. You know that." Even if Gabriel did he didn't answer, and Ruby was left unsure of his part in all this. It could just as easily have been him, his life put on the line and his fear making her feel guilty all over again. "Are you okay with keeping her a secret?"

"If you're okay with it."

If you could be killed by hugging, then Gabriel was a goner for sure.

* * *

><p>Rhoslyn had unfortunately heard the news before Ruby could admit to it herself, but didn't say much to her during breakfast. Ruby chose not to obsess over it, her worries concerning Abaddon once more pulled to the forefront of her mind. Her queen had every reason to punish her for her recklessness, but she must have realized it was for a good cause, keeping quiet and trusting Ruby instead. Ruby sent more than a few smiles her way in thanks for her understanding and generosity.<p>

Breakfast was nice, Castiel joining the half-full table soon after Ruby and engaging with her in small talk. She was shocked that Castiel didn't reprimand her for putting Gabriel in danger; then again, whatever Gabriel wanted to do he would do, and no one could convince him otherwise.

The queen didn't press her much for answers, which Ruby greatly appreciated. She wanted to know her plan before she was questioned as to her intentions, then she could show just how fit she was for the job. The only way she could hope to rise up in her new home was to act, words and promises wouldn't do her any good.

She was heading towards the kitchen to see Gabriel in order to clear her head, before she made a split decision and went down the opposite corridor to her room to slip on something warmer. Energy reserves were running low with the Unseelie Court pressing in on their land more everyday. She grimaced when she imagined how the fey outside the court must be faring.

Ruby felt at ease as she walked the halls of her home, everything was so familiar, bright and beautiful. She felt honored not only for her prestigious position, but also for the privilege of calling the Seelie her own.

The preoccupied faery opened the door and looked up, expecting the window to be up and the sun to be shining through it blindingly. Instead, the window was down and the shades drawn across it, only allowing a small bit of light to filter through. Ruby nearly coughed at the stuffiness of the room, letting her wings retract from her back so as to bring further light into the space.

A set of hazel eyes shone back at her, startling her and she opened her wings further, expecting to defend herself from one of the not so pleasant fey she had lived among not long enough ago.

As her wings spread out fully, brushing against the walls of her room, a familiar face came into view.

Bela Talbot was sitting on her bed, gazing up at her with such bright and hopeful eyes, worried and relieved all at the same time. Ruby relaxed her wings and her posture, searching the human for any weapons and finding none before she remembered that Bela wouldn't have come to hurt her. She lowered her wings, not wanting to startle Bela anymore than was necessary, no matter how much she might know about her kind.

"Ruby."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ruby hissed, shutting the door hurriedly behind her, but not before glancing back to make sure there were no unwanted intruders. It wasn't safe for Bela to be there because as fascinated as the Seelie Court was with humans, they would still try to trick them, manipulate them and maybe even psychologically scar them in their curiosity.

A thought nagged at Ruby's mind then, that Bela wouldn't be safe around her considering where she came from. If anyone was capable of hurting Bela it would be her, but she remembered Gabriel telling her time after time that she wasn't like that anymore, that she had never wanted to be like that. She clutched his reassurances desperately to her, knowing she needed them in order to be able to protect Bela.

"Did you forget already? _You _owe me a favor."

Ruby chose to ignore her response; even if Bela had saved her intentionally in order to hold the promise of a favor over her head, it somehow didn't matter to Ruby, not when she was this beautiful. The Seelie held beauty nearly before all else, the only other traits held higher being honor and loyalty. Beauty was to be treasured and cherished, and running across a human who was both beautiful and powerful, even given how delicate she looked, was a rare treat that Ruby could no sooner ignore than she could dismiss.

"Did anyone see you?"

"No. Believe me," her hand reached behind her to slip off the ponytail restraining her hair, and Ruby nearly gasped at the sight of the human's hair billowing out around her delicate features, "I'm not that stupid."

Even while sitting down, Bela looked like a force to be reckoned with, and Ruby wanted nothing more than to wrap her hand around hers and hold on tightly while they braced for battle. Ruby almost missed it, the fighting and the wing-pulling and the bloodshed. No kingdom would ever be truly destroyed, both queens realized that there had to be some sort of balance, but war was inevitable and familiar.

She brought herself back to the pressing moment, blocking out the ever-growing list of dangers Bela brought down upon herself and upon Ruby by deciding to grace the faery with her presence. No human had ever come to her world willingly in the last two centuries, emphasis being on the word willingly. Ruby had seen her fair share of humans: human slaves, human pets, tortured humans, psychologically manipulated humans. They belonged on Earth, not in her world; it was one of the only things she was certain of.

"I never said you were." She sighed, but she kept it quiet because she didn't want Bela to think she wasn't welcomed there. "But you have to realize how absolutely unsafe it is for you to be here." In fact, it was out of the question because as high up on the food chain as Ruby was, she wasn't nearly high enough for what had suddenly decided to come into her life.

"I know." She sent the floor a glare, everything about her seeming to be uncomfortable; Ruby immediately softened. "I just..."

"Just what?" Ruby pressed though kept her voice at reasonable levels. She crossed her arms on instinct, glancing worriedly behind her even though the door was closed.

"I just wanted to see you again, okay?" She glanced back up hesitantly and Ruby had to bite down on her lip to prevent herself from smiling. It was hard not to feel all warm and fuzzy when Bela was around, something which had Ruby really disturbed. "There, you got it out of me."

Ruby went speechless at that, and as worried as she was considering what could very well happen to Bela, she had to admit to herself that she was happy to see her again, especially after being pretty sure that they would never lay eyes on each other again.

"Look, you have to help me, okay?" So she didn't just want to see her.

"Yeah," Ruby gave into the desperate look on Bela's face, "of course." Like it was no big deal, like Ruby couldn't have her head separated from her shoulders for even having Bela in her room right then.

"Last night some faeries took my friend. I know they weren't your kind, if I am correct in assuming that this is the Seelie Court."

Ruby tried not to look impressed yet uncomfortable all at the same time. It took everything in her to suppress her true emotions and keep cool. "You're correct."

"I know there might not be any hope for him, but I was hoping that you might be able to help me, or at least point me in the right direction." Bela started to bite her fingernails for a few seconds, but when she realized she was doing it she put her hand back in her lap. She wouldn't make eye-contact with Ruby, as if what she was asking was too much to consider.

In a way, it was. It was _way _too much to consider. It didn't matter though because Ruby had always had a soft spot for humans, especially that particular one, who she knew next to nothing about. Still, Ruby was planning on doing a helluva lot more for the beautiful female than just point her in the right direction. If anything happened to Bela it would be her fault and her fault alone.

"Bela..."

It was the first time she had ever said her name and it felt _right _somehow, coming with a certain familiarity like she'd known the human for ages. Maybe the only reason why the faery felt so comfortable around her was because she _did_ save her life, but Ruby thought it must be something else too. Just because Bela saved her ass didn't explain why the faery was having such a strong reaction when she was around her or even just thinking about her, it also didn't mean that she wouldn't off Ruby if it benefited her. Getting to know Bela seemed to be the only sure way to trust her completely.

The human most likely thought that she was going to refuse. "I wouldn't come here if it wasn't important. Sam and Dean are my friends, and maybe if you won't help then Gabriel here will."

Ruby was about to say that of course she would help her before she replayed Bela's words in her head, focusing specifically on the 'here' after her best friend's name. "Wait a minute..."

Gabriel came out from within the closet then, smiling sheepishly at Ruby's annoyed expression. "Thanks for giving me away, Bels."

"You," Ruby pointed at him accusingly, angry and agitated. "You were the one who helped her get here?"

"Hey," Gabriel held up his hands, choosing to stand next to Bela rather than get closer to Ruby and with good reason too. "Don't look at me like that. If she hadn't stumbled across me then she'd be in the hands of the Unseelie Court by now." The fact that that statement was true didn't put Ruby at any ease.

"Which would have gotten me to where I need to be," Bela cut in, earning a murderous glance from Ruby before she could stop herself. She hurriedly cut in again, "But before I start sounding too ungrateful for your assistance, thank you again, Gabriel."

"No problem, sweet cheeks."

Ruby glared at him, specifically because he was treating the human like he had known her longer than he had known Ruby, but she turned back to Bela quickly. "Of course I'll help you."

"She means_ we_, I'll have you know."

Ruby didn't even so much as glance at him. "Just give me a moment to speak to my associate please."

Bela glanced back and forth between the two of them in confusion, which morphed into shock when Ruby grabbed hold of Gabriel's wing and yanked him into the hallway outside, shutting the door behind them. She dropped Gabriel, "_We _is not a part of this situation."

Gabriel's eyebrows rose significantly, "Are you kidding me? You've gonna have to tie me up in a closet to get rid of me that easily." Ruby pulled back for a second to consider that idea, only really to put Gabriel on edge. She managed not to laugh as he quickly tried to revoke his statement. "Wait a minute... I'll have you know I didn't mean that literally. Seriously, I'd kick your ass if you tried that."

"I mean it, Gabe," she continued, struggling to keep her voice under control and Gabriel quieted. "I am _not_ putting you in danger again." She had waking nightmares of what they chose to do, nightmares of losing him and not being able to get him back again. Nothing was worth _that. _

Her best friend seemed to deflate then, knowing the true cause of her insistence that he stay behind. "Is that what this is about? Honey, I thrive on danger."

"I don't care. If anything happens to you...," she paused to take a breath. "I'll never forgive myself."

"Rubes..."

"Stop right there. Nothing you could stay is going to make me change my mind. You're going to lay low here and make sure the queen doesn't have reason to come looking for me." She would get Bela what she came for, but she _would _do it alone, no exceptions.

Gabriel crossed his arms and started to pout then, "Fine, but you owe me."

Ruby nodded to acknowledge that fact and shooed Gabriel away, who reluctantly obliged. She waited until he was around the corner before she opened the door and peeked inside to find Bela exactly where she had left her. "How about a tour?" She offered, holding a hand out for Bela to take much as Bela had held her own hand out that night.

Bela smiled at her, a genuine smile to show off her perfectly aligned white teeth, and took her hand without a moment's pause.

* * *

><p>It was about an hour past sunrise, which meant very few fey would be around, that being the only fact that convinced Ruby to take Bela around the court in order to show her around a little. She still knew the danger, which is why she cloaked Bela partially, so if any passerby happened along then they would see a faery and nothing more. A faery that wasn't a court regular, but she figured some cloaking was better than anyone running into a human.<p>

What she liked so much about Bela was her lack of questions. She imagined that any typical human would have asked at least half a dozen by that point, but Bela seemed to know what was going on for the most part and merely followed Ruby without question. It did make her a little uneasy though.

"Just how much do you know about us?"

Ruby opted for going outside first, and she held one of the back doors open for Bela to walk through, who waited until Ruby was walking alongside her again.

"Honestly? Not much." Her hand brushed against the faery's, most likely accidentally, but it still sent shivers running throughout Ruby's entire form, which she tried to suppress as much as possible. "Most of what I know is from books, and I do realize that most information is complete and utter ridiculousness. I've always been a believer though, and I actually ran across one of you when I was around ten. He killed my father."

_Unseelie court. _"I'm sorry," Ruby quickly said, her hand taking Bela's and squeezing.

"Don't be, it was the best thing to ever happen to me. Never had a chance to repay the favor."

Ruby was startled by Bela's admission, but one look in the human's eyes gave her all the information she needed. Bela had been hurt somehow, and it had made her into the person she was before her. The thought of Bela being hurt or even touched in a manner meant to harm made Ruby feel sick inside. She would do anything to see her happy.

Bela didn't shake Ruby's hand away, only tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced at Ruby a little bit too shyly not to shock the faery. "I can't believe how comfortable I am with you. It's bloody crazy when I think about it."

"Then don't think about it," Ruby offered with a flirtatious smile, her hand never once slipping out of the human's despite knowing she really needed to stop confusing the both of them.

Bela, unfortunately, broke contact, crossing her arms in front of her chest tightly. Ruby pulled back a little in order to watch her stride purposefully in her heeled boots, eyeing her long, brown hair, which was pulled in front of her right shoulder and no longer spilling out across the back of her leather jacket. Ruby thought she was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she wanted her to keep talking no matter what she was talking about.

She turned around and caught sight of the faery watching her. Ruby's eyes lowered, but not fast enough. "Gabriel thinks he owes me for saving you."

"Thought it only went one way."

"Apparently not." Bela chuckled for a minute and Ruby laughed right along with her. Despite how much danger they were in, Ruby wouldn't trade that moment for anything. She felt comfortable around Bela too, so comfortable that she felt like she could tell her anything.

She cleared her throat and jumped into what was no doubt gnawing at both of them. "You actually ran into the right faery. I used to live at the Unseelie Court, lived there for most of my life, in fact." It wasn't something she wanted to talk about, but somehow she felt that Bela would understand, even maybe be sympathetic. It was all she could hope for.

"Really?" Bela looked a little skittish, but made no move to pull away from her. They were going around in circles, in more than one way. She didn't want to stop.

She swallowed hard, "Yeah."

The faery couldn't look at Bela head-on, but she peeked at her out of the corner of her eye to see that she had stopped and was leaning against a tree. "So I should be running away and screaming in terror, is that it? Because you don't seem like one of them to me."

"Well, I'm not, not anymore." She hoped she wasn't, but really, she was only repeating Gabriel's words, words that sounded too certain and believable to dismiss on her own. "Don't think I ever was," she murmured, not expecting Bela to believe it. She had no reason to, the fact that she had lived under Abaddon's rule, worked for her - it was too terrible for words.

"I've never heard of that before, switching courts." Ruby stopped cringing and lifted up her head in surprise. Bela, apparently, was full of all too beautiful surprises.

"That's because it doesn't happen. Gabriel helped me... adjust. He's really the only friend I have." She both loved and hated to admit that that was true; having a friend like Gabriel made you feel like the luckiest being, but having a friend like her could never lead to anything good.

"It's good that you have someone like that."

"You don't?"

Bela shook her head immediately, "No, that's not what I meant. You just seem really lonely." Ruby was lonely, always had been lonely. Being in the Seelie Court gave her a stronger sense of purpose, and made her feel just that little bit more brighter everyday. Yet there was always the fear that she would revert back to what she had been, repeating the crimes she had committed.

"If we're speaking openly here, then you do too." Turning it around on Bela was nothing less than the easy way out.

"Well, that's probably because my parents are dead and I am not exactly good with people." Bela brushed her hair back from her face, blinking back what had to have been tears. Ruby froze in place and merely watched her, taking in just how beautiful she was, even when emotional.

_You're good with me. Too bad I'm not even human. _

Ruby couldn't even imagine how devastated Bela must have felt that the only true connection she had made was with a faerie. A faerie who could never go back to Earth and who could never be friends with her in the broadest sense of the term. She could imagine though, because she felt exactly the same.

"You're good with me," Ruby tried, bringing her thoughts to life though wishing she had bitten her tongue instead. When Bela looked up at her though, a smile on her lips and in her eyes, Ruby knew she had said the right thing. "Why don't we go back inside? We can talk more there."

Bela nodded and followed her through another back door, slipping into the library moments afterward. Ruby sank into a plush armchair and Bela claimed the one across from her, clearly tense and not leaning too far back into the chair.

Ruby got right to it, "Getting into the Unseelie Court is easy, but getting out is a different matter." Bela nodded, leaning forward, hands on her knees, Ruby only sighed and continued. "We're going to need a distraction to free your friend, but believe me when I say that nothing distracts Abaddon."

"Abaddon?"

"The queen of the Unseelie Court. She's not only ruthless, but she's smart too, and cunning. We have to be on our toes around her, and that might not even save us." The next time Ruby showed up at the Unseelie Court, she was certain that Abaddon wouldn't let her leave, or not without her wings stripped as a brutal reminder of her abandonment. Bela didn't know the risks she was taking, but Ruby didn't want her to know either.

Bela lifted her head up in understanding, though Ruby wished she hadn't. "Humans. Humans distract her, don't they? You're planning on using me as bait."

"Not necessarily..." There were only a few options, but that was the best one. As striking as Bela was to Ruby, she would even be more so when Abaddon caught sight of her. The problem would be in breaking that gaze temporarily, because permanently they certainly couldn't hope for.

"Don't bother," Bela finally leaned back in her chair. "I like the plan."

* * *

><p>For the next two days, she didn't think about Abaddon's desire for something Ruby hadn't found yet, all she thought about was Bela Talbot.<p>

They talked while waiting for the festival of the nines to begin, in honor of the nine families that had held power millenia ago. The festival would allow Abaddon to catch sight of Bela and unwillingly be her source of distraction. The festivities should also be chaotic enough - given past events, of course - to get them all out of there safely and in one piece... hopefully.

They talked about things that neither one of them wanted to talk about, sprawled out on Ruby's bed sharing their memories, their passions and their regrets. Gabriel cooked up some wonderful, though of course _edible_ food for Bela, though other than that he stayed out of their affairs, winking at Ruby every time as he exited. She didn't even want to think about what it meant, but she always smiled when she thought about how happy she was _exactly _where she was.

Ruby connected with Bela in such a way that she didn't know how to feel about it. She knew Bela felt the same way, but she didn't want to assume anything further. It was hard enough knowing they wouldn't see each other after that.

Extending their time together wasn't a good option, it would result in them getting caught, but it was everything Ruby could do not to stretch the days into weeks and ponder whether the weeks could be stretched into months. She wanted to know everything there was to know about the mysterious and beautiful Bela Talbot, because no matter how much of her life she had told it still wasn't enough, and Ruby felt like there was so much more to know.

It was a door that she didn't want to close but desperately needed to.

There wasn't really a plan other than regretfully using Bela as bait, which even though said bait agreed to it, Ruby still wasn't comfortable with it. Ruby already knew where Sam was, he could be nowhere other than the inner dungeons, where most humans were kept that weren't locked up tightly and securely in the quarters of Abaddon's most-trusted advisers. She had no doubt that she could find him and get him out; that was part of her job, getting fey _out_.

The problem was getting Bela out without Abaddon wanting her. Ruby wouldn't leave her behind, not even if she had to trade herself. Going back to that hellhole would be payment enough for keeping Bela safe.

"What about you?"

The only thing they could do to keep from going stir-crazy, as Bela had termed it, was to chill out, talk and eat. Despite Bela saying she wasn't much for human food, she apparently loved what Gabriel whipped up for her. They had seemed close too, but Ruby figured Bela just made it easy for others to be with her. She was easy to get to know, and certainly easy to like, if like was even the right term to use.

Hopefully, she would have the same charms on Abaddon.

"What about me?" She had previously offered Bela the bed and chose the chair instead, but she couldn't help but notice that Bela scooted to the edge closest to her, so close that any further movement and she would have fallen off.

"What are you going to do after all this?"

Bela had talked about her questionable, so called career in pieces, something about procuring rare items for a select clientele. Okay, so maybe that might have been word for word but Ruby couldn't help it, every word out of Bela's mouth was enchanting enough for her to drool over. Switching to her end... to be honest, she had no idea what she would do when Bela was gone.

"Same old same old, I guess."

Bela cocked her head to the side at that, and Ruby read that as a sign for more prying. "You like living here?"

"Sure." What the hell was she talking about? She loved where she was, it was the best thing to ever happen to her. Being at the Unseelie Court and ruling under Abaddon had led her to believe that there were no second chances, no way to redeem herself no matter how much she might crave it. "I did some pretty bad things in the Unseelie Court." She ran her fingers through her hair, brushing out the tangles because she needed_ something_ else to focus on. "Some things that I am really not proud of."

Bela kept silent for several minutes, putting Ruby both on edge and sending relief through her also. She was giving the human plenty of opportunities to run; although, she didn't move an inch. "Like what?"

"Like killing fey and humans." She took a deep breath, "My head... it wasn't in the right place. I didn't know what was important, didn't know the good out there, in here, which is why I was stuck there."

Bela sat up at that, clearly taken off guard, but when Ruby looked away from her and started to pull in on herself, her wings tucked so tightly against her back in shame that it was painful, Bela climbed off the bed and touched her shoulder gently. "Hey..., it's not what you did before." Ruby looked up into her incredibly bright green eyes when a finger tilted her chin up slightly. "It's what you do now, who you are now."

"Never heard that one before."

"Well," Bela pulled away slightly, but Ruby could still reach out to make sure she was real if she needed to, "I've done bad things too, lashing out where I maybe had no place to. This is our chance to do something good though, and I need that so much I don't know how to ask for it."

"You already have."

* * *

><p>Ruby kept Bela masked, only to keep her hidden from everyone else because Abaddon would be able to see her perfectly, no matter how much coverage she wore. She wasn't heavily masked, only so as not to disorient her and cause her to lose pieces of her memory - the consequences of faery magic when used too suddenly - but Ruby had Gabriel help her in obscuring her from prying eyes further.<p>

"Good luck." Gabriel's hand clasped Ruby on the back and she smiled back at him, happy he had known better not to smother her in a hug. She really needed to keep her head in the game. "Try not to kill anyone too important."

Bela was another story entirely. Gabriel walked up to her slowly and Ruby expected a gentle pat on the back; however, she received much more than any of them bargained for. Gabriel wrapped his arms around her and engulfed the human in a hug, Bela's shocked expression coming through to Ruby all too clearly. It was sweet to see, made all the more touching when Bela wrapped her arms around him as well.

"Look out for yourself, sweet cheeks. Keep an eye on Ruby here too." He looked over at his best friend and then turned back to Bela, "She's more jealous than she lets on."

Ruby rolled her eyes but smiled at Bela nonetheless, taking her hand to help her up the steep hill and out of Gabriel's eyesight. When she let go, her hand tingled for innumerable seconds afterward, and Ruby tried not to think about grasping it again. Invading Bela's personal space without her permission only reminded her of the less than savory aspects of where they were headed.

The crowd was huge outside as well as inside, and Ruby had no inklings as to where they were holding the feast. Usually it was held outside, but with the number of fey headed inside Ruby had to rethink that nervously. She caught sight of several fey that she knew, though they ignored her and walked on, either still fearing her or no longer caring about her, but it was much more than just an unwelcome surprise when Meg sneaked up on her, pushing her way in front of the two of them.

"Didn't think you were invited."

Bela instinctively kept close to her, but it was still all she could do not to pull her even closer, grabbing her hand or wrapping an arm tightly around her. That would raise unwanted questions though, and neither of them needed that.

"Meg. Abaddon's invitation was late," she said briskly, trying to brush past her prior protege and lover but to no avail. She stopped in her tracks again, trying her best to look annoyed and not the slightest bit nervous. The truth was that Abaddon didn't exactly invite her, but neither would she dare turn her down from the festivities of her prior home. She was honoring Abaddon by being there, which sickened her to no end, but it was also a good move to keep up steady relations.

A grin slid across the dark faery's face so effortlessly that it brought back far too many painful memories. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Bela," she replied before Ruby could stop her. She inwardly groaned, but hoped Meg wasn't as skilled as she was at reading voices. Ruby definitely should have explained more to the human.

"Bela huh?" Meg walked around her tauntingly, "Far too pretty to be kept to one person, don't you think? What do you say about sharing her, Ruby-kins?"

"No thank you," Ruby grit out, once more pushing past Meg. This time she let her, but she could eerily feel Meg's eyes on her back all night. She almost wanted to throw Bela at Abaddon, knowing she would be safe under her control, but all in due time.

"Ruby?" She turned towards her but still kept an eye on her surroundings. "I think I'm ready."

She pushed Bela gently against one of the black granite pillars, and she felt a shiver run through the human at the sudden piercing cold. "All you have to do is head up front, and quickly. Don't stop for anyone or anything, especially Meg. When Abaddon sees you, then you'll be safe." There was no way she couldn't be, Abaddon had no means to resist _that_ temptation.

"How are you so sure?"

She already knew the answer, Ruby knew she knew. It was perhaps the easiest thing in the world to say, but that didn't mean she still felt okay in saying it. She had no idea how Bela felt about her. She knew how she should feel, that she should treat her like what she was: a faery, an abomination, someone she should have no business dealing with. Ruby didn't trust herself completely not to hurt her.

"Because you're beautiful.

Bela stared at her silently for several moments, but then those full lips broke into a gorgeous grin. "Are you paying me a compliment, Ruby?"

Her beauty could be clouding her judgment, her _emotions_, but there was more to Bela than met the eye. Much more.

"Merely stating the facts." Her response was hurried and quickly moved on from. She would pay Bela a thousand more compliments if she had the time or reason to. "And whatever you do," Ruby added, her eyes wandering towards the center of the room, "do not dance."

"Why?"

"Because you won't be able to stop." With that she turned and walked away, mingling with past friends - if she could have even called them that then - towards the outer rim of the main hall. There were still some fey who liked her and admired her, who were willing to talk to her, but there were none she would ever come back willingly for. The second Bela caught Abaddon's gaze and inevitably her undivided attention, then Ruby would head off.

Ruby watched Bela closely, albeit out of the corner of her eye, as she approached the throne. None tried to stop her, only seeing what they wanted to see, but Ruby both smiled and grimaced when she noticed her prior queen's eyes latch onto the human that she wanted so badly to call her own.

She turned away quickly from what could be the absolute worst decision of her existence, and headed towards the inner dungeons.

* * *

><p>Once upon a time, she had placed many a trespassing fey and unlucky human down in the innermost dungeon. It had almost been a second home for her, that's how much she had been down there. She hated it at that moment even more than she had all those previous times. Given she no longer thrived in the Unseelie Court, the dark energy would begin to tear away at her, draining her pleasant, light-shrouded thoughts and her sense of right and wrong. She couldn't afford that, which meant she had to make the trip short.<p>

"Ruby! Good to see you again." The gruff though still surprisingly loud voice belonging to Razor greeted her as soon as she reached the innermost chamber. She had counted almost too much on him being there that day; hell, she hadn't even known whether he still lived.

"Hey, Razor." At any other moment, she would have engaged in small talk with him. Given she was in a rush though, there was no time. The longer Abaddon spent with Bela, the more she would want her. A thing that did work in her favor was that Razor never cared much for talking, just like her, which not only saved her time but means of persuasion as well.

She picked nervously at the already wilting skin of her hands, her wings tingling distractedly, trying to persuade her to let them lose. "I'm looking for a human, Razor. Will you help me?"

"Course I will. Even if you won't stick around to humor me."

"Razor..."

She knew he sensed her growing discomfort, knowing full-well what would start to happen to her if he didn't make their reunion short. She would revert back to what she had been, the process accelerated in one of the darkest of places; not even Abaddon's chambers could top the dungeons. "Don't bother, know you made a new life for yourself elsewhere. Doesn't mean I can't miss you from time to time."

She couldn't help but smile guiltily; Razor had helped her get out. "I know. I miss you too."

"No, you don't. You're too preoccupied with your new queen. That's okay though," he held up a grime-covered hand to cease her upcoming protests, "you're the one who needs it, not me. Come on," he held out his arm to usher her closer. "I won't bite." She followed him through a side door and into a small, separate room, where they could talk more privately.

She suspected for a moment that she was only there because Abaddon permitted it, but she also gave herself credit. She knew those dungeons better than anyone else, except for Razor of course, and knew she had once and still might have the ability to travel through them undetected.

"His name is Sam. If you still keep track of names, that is."

He frowned, "Not so much anymore, Ruby. I'll show ya around though."

Ruby nodded in appreciation and was led through another door into a room that Ruby had never seen before. It had to have been a new addition after Ruby left, gracing the dungeon with a grand total of ten new cells, these smaller than the others. Ruby shivered, though suspected it wasn't all to do with her thin, lightweight clothes. Her wings started to tingle further, even beginning to vibrate slightly, but all she could think about was what Abaddon had planned. More cells couldn't mean anything good, it meant more human victims... more human slaves.

Three of the cells were full, and rather than waste her time speaking to each unfortunate member, she spoke up. "I'm looking for someone named Sam!" There was motion to the right of her vision and she turned, catching a head tilting upward. Instead of waiting for a response, Ruby pushed herself further, peeking inside the cramped, incredibly dark cell. "Are you Sam?"

Angry eyes glowed back at her. "Who wants to know?"

"Look, I don't have time to answer all your questions. Not if you want to get out of here alive. All you need to know is that Bela sent me to help you."

He stood up abruptly, "Bela? You know Bel...?"

Razor stepped forward to cram a key into the lock and yank the heavy door open, drowning out the rest of Sam's sentence. Not for long though. He held out his hand, which Ruby had no idea what to do with. The human seemed to sense that and quickly dropped it back to his side. "I'm Sam, Sam Winchester."

She nodded, "I think it was your brother who rescued me." She turned to Razor briefly, wanting to at least say goodbye. "I'll send a thank you letter in due time, Razor. Just need to get out of here right about now."

"Understandable. Good luck, Ruby."

"Ruby?" Sam repeated, following closely behind her, hovering almost too closely for her taste. She fought the urge to shove him away; the Unseelie Court was wearing away at her increasingly.

"Correct."

"Bela's not... here, is she?"

"Afraid so." She would have switched the subject, told him to keep up with her or something, but considering his hovering, there wasn't much she could say. "You'll be reunited with her soon enough." They were almost back to the main hall now, and Ruby spent her remaining energy masking Sam. It almost wasn't enough. "Do you remember who it was that took you?"

"Isn't someone going to see me?"

No one other than Abaddon. "Don't change the subject."

"No, I mean... it was dark. I couldn't see much." His forehead crinkled in concentration, and Ruby had to admit that it was kind of cute. Everything about him was kind of cute, he seemed a lot more sensitive than his no-nonsense brother. Ruby knew she had no right to make assumptions after only meeting the both of them once, and separately, but it was kinda hard to believe that that was Dean's brother.

They were almost outside when Sam had to very nearly blow his cover by touching her arm and speaking, in a room full of hundreds of other ever-listening fey no less. "Wait, aren't we going to get Bela?"

She moved his hand off of her. The grip had been surprisingly both gentle and firm, allowing her to perceive him as a friend and a potential threat. She chose to accept the latter but go with the former.

"This is part of the plan. Roll with it," she gritted out, pulling him out into the night, where dozens more fey just had to be hanging about. "Or I'm going to leave you behind, and at their mercy." She motioned discreetly towards the other fey, though Sam didn't seem to be fazed. She quickly turned a corner into silence and further darkness, still dragging Sam behind her. He put up a fight, though not much of one, maybe because he was afraid not to trust Ruby. She was his ticket out, after all.

"I'm serious. Where's Bela?"

Ruby sighed, "She's going to meet us." Knowing she couldn't let Sam wander around, she was going to have to leave Bela's fate up to Bela. She didn't think Abaddon would keep her, not at the first meet, but she could only hope that she was right. Sending Sam back up to Earth was first priority, then Ruby would go back for Bela and bargain for her if that was what it came down to.

The trek to the cave didn't take long - it lay between both courts - but the stairs leading up seemed to take eons longer than previously.

"Promise me," Sam begged her as she pushed him up the final steps. She wouldn't follow, probably never would again. "Promise me you'll take care of her."

Ruby paused for a moment, but then bit her lip and nodded. If there was anything she could be counted on for, it was looking after Bela. "I will. You have my word."

"I owe you," Sam acknowledged, his eyes concerned as he caught sight of the moon in his world. "Repaying favors are pretty big to you guys, right?"

She shook her head, "This is repaying a favor to Bela, it has nothing to do with you." She smiled and pushed him up the last step before he could protest. "If I don't see you again," she called after him, "have a good life, Sam Winchester."

The faery watched him go, waiting until he was out of sight before she hurried back down the stairs in her rush to get back to Bela. She should have been waiting for them, which meant something had gone wrong. Ruby picked up her pace as she was about to exit the cave, only to run into the very same human she was running towards.

Her hands instinctively went to Bela's arms and gripped them tightly - _protectively_ - in order to make sure she kept her balance. She had crashed into her pretty hard, and despite Bela's tough persona she was still all too human.

Her smirk was affectionate. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

Bela stared into Ruby's eyes, and the faery could see that there was something there. Whether or not it was flirtation, Ruby wasn't an expert. Her kind were incredibly inventive when it came to flirting, Ruby had just never done much of it, and the little of it she had done - yes, Meg - she certainly didn't want to remember or repeat.

"Nothing," she pulled her hands away, realizing that Bela had made no motion to rid herself of them. Now that she knew Bela was safe, she finally realized how good she felt. She was close to her court, and its light seemed to fill her up, soaking up the small bit of darkness that was still sifting out of her. "I was just coming to find you."

_Only to let you go again. _

"Come on," Bela grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her forward. "Time for me to head home."

* * *

><p>Walking back upstairs was excruciating for Ruby. There were so many things she wanted to say, things she couldn't say in five minutes. What was worst of all was that she felt she had no right to say anything. Bela seemed overjoyed to be going back home, and Ruby was happy for her too, but it still didn't prevent her from feeling absolutely crushed.<p>

"I guess this is goodbye then."

They were already _there_, where had the time gone...?

Bela leaned forward to give the faery a lingering kiss on the cheek. Ruby merely crossed her arms, ignoring the gesture of affection, but Bela giggled slightly at her. "Wish me luck then," she said, heading up the third and then the second step.

"Good luck," Ruby choked out, not knowing what else to say, feeling that might be enough. She made a split decision and headed up after her. "Bela, why did you save me?"

Bela turned back and gave her a kiss on the lips. It was quick, but it held promise and meaning like nothing else ever had. Even though she made a move to leave immediately afterward, Ruby knew what that kiss meant... wanted to stop her but just _couldn't_ stop her.

No, something else stopped the human for her. Every time Bela reached the final step, she was pushed back gently. It was like there was something preventing her from leaving, and it must have taken ten tries until Bela just gave up, swearing under her breath. It didn't make any sense.

Then it did.

Ruby's temper flared up before she could tamper it down. Ulterior motives... there were always ulterior motives. She just hadn't expected Bela to act upon them, or even think them up for starters.

"You took something didn't you?"

Bela didn't answer that, which was answer enough. Property marks couldn't be kept on humans without reasonable cause, but possessions were easy enough. Taking something from Abaddon was impossible, even if Bela had distracted her. When Abaddon marked something as hers, there was no way it could leave their world, it couldn't even venture into the Seelie Court without her express permission. Ruby should know that too, considering she had been Abaddon's property before Rhoslyn had helped her trick the Unseelie Queen into breaking the property mark.

It was a dangerous game Bela was playing, and Ruby had let her play it.

"Drop whatever you have, because it may be your only chance." Ruby's warnings didn't play on deaf ears, Bela immediately reached into her pocket and gathered in her hand the small sword. She dropped it, the faery not able to ignore the second thoughts that flashed in her eyes. _Humans._

Bela didn't waste any time in attempting to cross through the portal again; unfortunately, Ruby had already pretty much known that she would be blocked the eleventh time as well. The human didn't try again after that, dropping back down to where Ruby stood.

Ruby's glare must have worked better on the human than she expected. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? But my career..."

"I don't give a damn about your career," Ruby seethed before she could stop herself. Bela didn't look like a miracle to her then, she looked more like someone that had used Ruby for gain. "You put my life in danger, not just your own. Now there's no way for you to get back, don't you understand that? By stealing from Abaddon you've made her realize that you're not being taken away from her either."

"Well," Bela scoffed, "there has to be some way... I refuse to simply be trapped here!"

"There is no way," Ruby snarled even though she knew that wasn't true. She just said it to make Bela feel bad, to make her feel guilt and shame and all the things Ruby felt about herself. Abaddon had been given plenty of reasonable cause to create a property mark on Bela after she had tried to steal from her. Even if Bela brought back what was Abaddon's, there was no telling she would be forgiven and allowed to leave.

Bela had not only caught the Unseelie queen's attention, but had also appealed to her obsessive nature. She had screwed herself though, and it didn't mean Ruby had to help.

"You stole that to sell it. Now you understand a part of what makes the Unseelie Court despise humans so much. You only care about possessions, you only care about looking good and making money. Values do not exist to you, and I can't believe that I was blind enough not to see that.

"Ruby..."

"No," she sent forth the cruelest glare she could before descending the steps. "You're on your own."

It would mean Bela's death most likely, but Ruby couldn't be made to look weak.

* * *

><p>She was already a ways away from the cave, struggling to keep the human out of her thoughts before Bela finally caught up to her. She could have stayed in that cave and rotted there for all Ruby cared, but even as she was thinking it Ruby knew that she'd rather die than let that happen. She would have gone back if Bela hadn't followed, because even if it made her look weak it did distance her from the likes of the Unseelie Court.<p>

Ruby ignored her until she was beside her, thrusting the small sword in her face. Ruby knew it would have fetched a pretty penny in Bela's world, but it also didn't give her the right to take it. Possessions of the fey weren't meant to exist on Earth, they would either lose their power or spiral out of control in human hands.

"Take it," Bela pleaded with her even though Ruby didn't so much as glance at it or her. "Just take it!"

She couldn't even look at her, "It doesn't matter now." It didn't matter, really. Bela could take it back, but it wouldn't mean a damn thing because the action was already taken. She knew Bela's eyes would be begging her to help, knew it was a strong possibility that she would melt in those hazel depths.

"You can't just leave me."

She could... she _should_. "And who are you to make that decision for me?" Bela was essentially no one in that world, no matter the power and influence she held on Earth. She would be tricked and trapped and killed in either Court, and Ruby couldn't do anything to save her.

"Because...," she held the sword in a loose grip, as if she was about to drop it again. "Because I was stupid and I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay?"

Ruby didn't owe her anything, she had already paid back what she had owed Bela. She was done, just a faery who knew nothing about that human currently pleading with her to understand and sympathize. Hell, Ruby wasn't even supposed to sympathize with her and already had and still probably was. Look where sympathy for humans had gotten her so far though? "And what does that have to do with me?"

Her eyes went wide in disbelief. "Bloody hell, Ruby! I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to take something back with me. I figured that it would be a wasted trip if I didn't."

She stopped walking then. "A wasted trip, huh?"

Bela lowered her gaze as well as her confidence, something Ruby hadn't expected. Then again, Bela was probably a master of manipulation, "I... I didn't mean it like that. Thanks for helping to rescue Sam. I guess I never really thanked you, did I?"

"No," she turned towards her then, eyeing her up and down with disdain, "you didn't."

"Look..."

"No, you look!" Her tone both startled and scared Bela, and Ruby almost felt sorry for that latter emotion, but not nearly sorry enough. "I'm angry with you, Bela, and nothing is going to change that." She wasn't going to let her emotions and desires get the better of her, not after all that had happened. Bela was still in her world, just like she had wanted her to be, but never in the way it had turned out.

"Maybe not," the human agreed, "but let me at least try to make it up to you." A human making it up to faery? It was laughable at best, if not impossible. Ruby didn't laugh though, mostly because she really wanted to see what Bela would try, really wanted her to be on her best behavior.

"I don't even know if Abaddon will let you cross into the Seelie lands. You've insulted her in one of the worst ways."

"We can try though, right?"

Ruby sighed and allowed Bela the pleasure of following her. She didn't know full well what she was getting herself into, but she had an idea and she certainly didn't like it.

Leaving Bela behind wasn't really an option though, after all.

* * *

><p>Ruby dropped Bela off in her room for safekeeping, threatening that if she left her head would no longer be attached to her shoulders. The threat probably didn't work, not to mention that the faery couldn't read the look on Bela's face to see if she was planning on laying low, but it was the best she could do. She wouldn't stick around just to be uncomfortable around the human, and it felt more than just weird considering how comfortable they were together just the other day. Ruby took off without another word, trying not to think about the fact that she may have just wanted to like Bela and that that had clouded her judgment.<p>

Castiel intercepted her on the way to the library, which was unfortunate because she didn't want to reveal the news to Gabriel yet.

"Are you okay?" His big blue eyes seemed to penetrate completely into the depths of her existence as they searched her. She had always felt uncomfortable when she was the center of his attention, but right at that moment her mind was racing with other thoughts. "You look a little...," he paused, trying to find the right word, "drained."

She felt it too.

"I'm fine, Cas," she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. "Just tired."

"It wouldn't be normal if you weren't." He decided to stop searching her and fell into step beside her. "Gabriel wishes to speak with you." Gabriel always wanted to talk to her about something, and this was probably the most exciting thing that had ever uprooted their lives. He had a right to know about it, but that didn't mean Ruby wanted to talk about it. She couldn't begin to figure out or understand how she felt about Bela, or how she felt about humans in general. She half wanted to know them and half wanted to continue on with the brand new life gifted to her, with no further disruptions. Too bad she probably couldn't have that last option.

"Not now...," she started before someone stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Yes," Gabriel's eyes seemed to bleed into her own as they latched onto her. "Now."

Ruby gave in and pulled her best friend into a small hallway veering off to the left. Castiel followed closely behind them, knowing better than to attract attention. Ruby didn't have the heart or the right to tell him to leave; whatever Gabriel was involved in was a concern of Castiel's as well. He was more serious and level-headed than Gabriel, but if he found out that she put his older brother in danger, there would be hell to pay.

She pulled her attention away from Castiel. "That damn human took something." She wanted to sound pissed off, given her word choice, but she wanted Bela safe no matter what she had done or might still do.

"Did you get her friend out?" Apparently, Gabriel cared more about the other thing, Sam Winchester to be more specific. Ruby had forgotten about him entirely, and she couldn't truly be blamed given Bela Talbot's antics, but she still needed to find out who had taken him, given she had a gut instinct that it wasn't merely coincidence.

"Yes, he's safe." Or at least a helluva lot safer than he would have been there. "But we have bigger things to worry about, Gabriel."

"She took something," Gabriel shrugged dramatically, and Ruby couldn't believe he was being that childish. "So what?"

Ruby paused for a moment, unable to believe what she was hearing. Over-reacting wasn't something that she was doing in that situation, but her complete seriousness only seemed to confuse Castiel more. "So... she stole something of Abaddon's."

Gabriel dropped his nonchalance immediately. "Shit."

"Yeah," she peeked around the wall and crossed her arms when she turned to face him again. "I know."

Castiel finally decided to jump in then with some questions of his own. "Humans?" Neither of the two answered, Gabriel seeming to grant Castiel a moment to put the pieces together and Ruby unable to deny or depart the situation as much as she wanted to. "Don't tell me you brought humans here."

"It's a long story, bro."

"What were the two of you thinking?" His voice was a loud whisper, but it still made Ruby shiver in her boots. Yeah... what had she been thinking?

Gabriel shot Ruby a look before he opened his mouth; Ruby's was already open, but she couldn't make any words come out. "Well, we were thinking about repaying the human who saved Ruby's life a favor."

Castiel looked upon Ruby with confusion. "Saved Ruby's...?"

She took over then, holding her breath as she explained and hoping not to be hated for her actions. "We went to Earth. Abaddon wanted something... wants something," she corrected. "We figured we would find it there. Anyway," she swallowed, "I was tricked. There was iron and... and a human saved my life. Gabriel wasn't with me at the time." _I am so happy that he wasn't. _

Castiel seemed unaffected by the emotion in her voice. "And you just figured that you would take my brother along with you, putting his life in danger?"

"Hey," Gabriel stepped up, "take it easy, Cas. I didn't let her say no."

"No, I guess not, Gabriel. No one ever says no to you." In any other situation it would have been laughable. Gabriel always got his way, because saying no to him wasn't only like saying no to a child, but he would find some way to come along anyway. He was a great deal more powerful than he usually let on, and Ruby always feared taking any steps in order to forcefully restrain him from doing something she didn't want him to do.

"Oh, come on," Gabriel pouted, still trying to shift blame away from Ruby but doing a pretty shitty job at it. "It was the chance of a lifetime."

"And if it almost got Ruby here killed then it could have gotten you killed as well. What were you thinking, Gabriel?"

Despite Castiel's voice being low and threatening, Gabriel found some reason to argue. Ruby admired him a lot for it, yet she also wanted him to keep his mouth shut. "I was thinking about helping Rhoslyn, about giving us a fighting chance. We're drowning here, Cas. There is no way to get Abaddon off our backs unless we give her what she wants."

"The only thing Abaddon wants," Castiel informed them, "is for us to be dead and for the Seelie Court to not even exist. I should have expected that you two would be reckless, and now you have a human to contend with. Do me a favor, Ruby," he grabbed Gabriel's arm and started to drag him away, "don't involve either one of us in your affairs again."

Gabriel sent her an apologetic look, but it did nothing to help quell the shakes that were beginning to form in her hands, to cease the guilt gripping her like a vice. The gesture meant exactly what it was supposed to: Castiel ripping Gabriel out of her problems... out of her life. She deserved it too, deserved to follow Bela's inevitable fate.

* * *

><p>She wiled away the hours in the library, searching for something that Abaddon would want and a way to send Bela back where she belonged. The former was more important, but every time she reminded herself of that she wasn't convinced. Bela couldn't stay there, she would get hurt andor killed and Ruby couldn't be who she wanted to be if she let either of those two things happen.

Breaking a property mark wasn't easy, and for a human it would be next to impossible. Humans were weaker, infinitely more fragile beings who had not the will or the capacity to survive in Ruby's world. It didn't matter how tough Bela appeared to be, she would most likely shatter under the influence of any form of faerie energy: light or dark. Ruby would take what she had learned from Rhoslyn, but she already knew it wouldn't be enough.

She would ask Bela if she had anything valuable on her when she retreated to her room. Maybe it would be good enough to give to Abaddon, and then maybe Abaddon would let her go.

With her head hung in defeat and her wings drooping so low that they were brushing against the warm tile, she walked back to her room silently and at a moderate pace. She half-expected Bela not to be there, but when she opened the door, closed it then lifted her head, she was greeted with a Bela who was sitting in the chair and had her eyes glued to a book. Her head lifted and her eyes were expectant when Ruby cleared her throat.

"What happened with Abaddon?"

She closed the book and dust floated around her, her eyes like haunting beacons of light through the gray. "What do you...?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Bela," she warned, her voice shaking slightly. Bela must have spoke to Abaddon, must have followed Abaddon into her personal quarters. How else would she have gotten the sword, and how else would Abaddon have let her walk away? Words _were _exchanged, and pure or not Ruby didn't know, only that _she _had a right to know.

Bela stood up, dropping the book in the chair she had been sitting in; Ruby scanned the cover and came back with the title: Exchanges. She didn't want to know what Bela had learned from it, and didn't want to remember reading it herself. When you read about centuries worth of humans running into faeries and vice versa, there was quite a lot that couldn't be ignored or unlearned. It not only revealed much about humans, but it revealed more about her kind than any human had a right to know. It was too late to hide that book.

"You shouldn't even be concerned with names, and you most certainly don't have to use mine... yet you are. What exactly does that mean?"

Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, her wings prickling uncomfortably against her shoulders and back. "Stop."

"Stop what?" She inched closer, never letting her eyes stray from Ruby, never letting that small smile leave her perfectly curved lips. "Stop trying to say that you don't hate me, that you don't blame me?"

"Bela, don't..."

She didn't blame her though, or hate her. Bela was so unique, so confident and strong, motivated and beautiful. There was nothing about her that she didn't admire, she both infuriated her and drew her closer with every reckless action and every rarely thought about word.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your wings are?" Bela strode the last few steps towards her, her movements slow and her eyes sparkling with light. Whether that light was good-intentioned or not, Ruby didn't know and didn't care. "They're so dark, but they're truly stunning."

It was no secret that humans were able to see the wings of the fey, even when in their homeland, though of course it was rare given they were smart enough to mask themselves. Ruby just always assumed that Bela would be put off by them, that she would be horrified and maybe even sick to her stomach. She knew her wings must not be natural in the eyes of the humans, given her kind - including her - looked exactly like humans if not for them, not to mention how eerily beautiful the fey were as well.

To see and hear face-to-face that Bela not only looked upon her wings without fear, but admired them as well... Ruby knew how powerful that was.

It was perhaps the greatest compliment one could give.

"Thanks," she barely got out, managing not to slip on the word and stutter. She opened her mouth to say more, shocked and mildly disoriented at the compliment, but a warm mouth covered her own and an eager tongue began to explore. Even in shock, Ruby didn't pull away, only wrapped her arms around the human, as if she had done it a million times before, and pulled closer to her, her own tongue pushing deeper for a secret she hadn't yet obtained.

Bela smelled wonderful, like gunpowder, leather and cinnamon all rolled into one. She tasted dangerous and powerful and Ruby wanted that power more than anything. She remembered the weapon, the _gun_ pointed at her captors, the features of the human revealing nothing and her posture tough and sure. She would have given anything to have had a clearer sight of her that night, but what she had seen would haunt her mind forever.

The human ended up breaking away, needing to breathe, but her name was on Ruby's tongue and she just had to express it.

"Bela."

She put a finger to her lips, quieting her as she panted lightly. "We should really just start making out right now, and forget about everything else." Her voice... rich and thick, arousing and soothing at the same time. No one else had a voice like that.

Ruby nodded and Bela's mouth captured hers once more, teeth biting her lips, fingertips brushing her wings without permission. Lucky for Bela, she didn't need to be granted permission. The sensation put Ruby on edge, had her moaning and gasping far ahead of when she should have been. Bela seemed to notice the source of Ruby's undoing, how could she not?

The faery's fingers flitted up under the human's shirt and started playing with the material clutched tightly to her upper chest. She explored further and found hooks at the back, to which she started undoing. Bela didn't stop her, merely drove the two of them closer to the bed.

Ruby was all too certain then that Bela would be the death of her.

As they fell onto the bed ungracefully, Ruby was ready for death.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Bela was gone and the tingling throughout her form was only a memory. She felt truly rested and happy, but it only lasted for a brief moment before those things were overshadowed by panic and worry. She bolted out of the bed and through her door before she could even think about what she was doing.<p>

Bela was nowhere in sight, and when she quickly went back to her room she couldn't find a note or any other trace of her. The last thing she caught sight of was the book - still left abandoned in the chair - before she pulled her boots and some clothes on and closed the door behind her.

Rhoslyn greeted her with a smile, "In a hurry?"

Ruby smiled back, forcing herself to relax under her queen's gaze. "You know me, there's always things that need doing."

"Well, since you're in a rush I won't keep you long. There is a pressing matter that needs to be discussed though, as I'm sure you full well know." Ruby knew perfectly well, because the faerie on everyone's minds was none other than Abaddon. She had been the mortal enemy of the Seelie folk for centuries, and she would no doubt be for centuries more. It was no use trying to get rid of her, not to mention that the Unseelie Court had to exist and had to be ruled in order to keep things in balance, but Abaddon had far too many plans up her sleeve for anyone not to worry.

"I do," she admitted, sending her queen an apologetic smile. "I've been trying to... deal with it on my own. But I may need your advice."

The Seelie Queen bowed her head slightly and stepped aside, both of which were massive displays of respect for her, respect she most certainly didn't deserve. "Until tomorrow, then."

She bowed back, making sure to maintain eye-contact when doing so. "Thank you for your understanding, my queen."

Ruby turned away and started walking, not daring to watch if Rhoslyn entered her room or not. She had a right to, of course, but that didn't mean she wanted her snooping for clues that she or Bela may have left behind. She sighed, pulled her hair out from underneath her dirt brown jacket and made her way towards the kitchen. She would feed her stomach and then she would find Bela, she decided, keeping an eye on her surroundings all the while.

She pressed her ear to the door leading into the kitchen when she heard laughter. She knew she was supposed to stay away from Gabriel, but sometimes it just wasn't an option. That other laugh though, there was something familiar about it...

The faery shoved the door open and her eyes honed in on one of the strangest sights. Gabriel was whipping up some sort of food, but that wasn't what was strange, no, Bela sitting up on the counter, laughing at him and working her way through a bowl of something was what was strange.

"Fuck, Bela."

Ruby should have been pissed that Bela had disappeared, nearly catapulting her into full-on panic mode, but seeing her smile and laugh made Ruby feel warm inside.

Bela looked up at her and sent Ruby one of her own smiles, making the faery feel wanted. "For faeries, you and your kind sure do know a lot of swear words."

"Believe me," Ruby chose to inform her, "you weren't the first to use them." Humans believed they were the creators of everything, and imagine how much their world would be uprooted if they discovered that their ancestors learned more from the fey than they perhaps should have.

Bela's smile widened as she changed the subject, "Good morning to you too, Ruby. Gabriel was just telling me about one of your guys' prank wars. I would have loved to have seen your hair blue. It seems like the two of you had a lot of fun."

"Ah," Gabriel smiled as he reminisced, "the good old days."

Ruby shot her friend a glare, "We'll talk about this later, Gabe." She gestured towards the door after realizing that Gabriel must have re-cloaked her after last night. "Come on, we need to find a way to get you back home." Bela dropped off the counter top, sharing a frown with Gabriel who obviously would rather have her stay with him than leave. Ruby didn't need to remind him how dangerous Bela remaining there was though, it was just him pouting over yet another thing he couldn't have.

"See ya around, Bels."

"Thanks for the food and the conversation, Gabriel."

When they were alone again - for the first time since the night before - Ruby felt uncomfortable. Bela seemed too much at ease in her world, something that couldn't be allowed to continue. "So, about last night..."

Bela cut her to the chase, though her fingers still played with the buttons on the sleeve of her shirt nervously. "It was a one-time thing, so don't worry about it. I think it helped us to work through a lot of our issues, but we can just move on now."

Ruby nodded quickly - not allowing herself to think better of it - and avoided Bela's eyes. What they had shared last night... it was beyond words. Ruby's aura had enveloped the human in a moment of sheer ecstasy, and Bela's reaction had been more than satisfactory. The sounds she had made and the way she had looked when her head was tipped back and she was moaning loudly - probably without realizing it... it was the happiest moment of Ruby's existence.

She wanted Bela all to herself, wanted to share everything with her, her whole world and every part of herself she kept buried, hidden from prying eyes. Bela had looked so beautiful in her arms, a human who could handle everything she was and more.

But she had just revealed that she wasn't interested in her in that way. Everything inside of her was _crushed_.

"I was thinking a lot this morning about what needs to be done." Ruby allowed Bela to have all the words, since she definitely seemed to know how to use them. "I'll go back to see Abaddon, to give her back the sword, of course. But then Gabriel mentioned that she wants something valuable, so I was thinking about this." Bela's hands reached behind her neck and unlatched the necklace there, revealing the pendant that had been lying beneath her shirt.

It was a locket, and Ruby watched carefully as the human opened it to reveal a picture of a child and a woman. Ruby had seen these before, enough of them to know that they were valued by humans, representing long lost memories. It might not be enough for Abaddon, but these pieces of human jewelery were powerful in meaning.

"The child in the picture is me," she pushed the locket closer into Ruby's line of sight, "and the woman standing next to me was my aunt. She died a short time after this picture was taken. I figured... since it means a lot to me..."

Bela handed the locket to Ruby but the faery only snapped it shut and gave it back to her. "You don't have to do that," she shook her head, her smile warm and genuine. "Our politics are of no responsibility to you."

"Except they are," Bela pressed. "What happens if Abaddon doesn't get what she wants?"

Ruby shrugged, "Then we'll have a war to fight. We're used to it."

The last war had been about two centuries ago, when Ruby was a young newcomer to the Unseelie Court. Back then she had been a completely different person, and had fought for the honor of an entirely different queen. She would be proud to fight for Rhoslyn and the causes she fought for, and she would be proud to fight alongside Gabriel as well, but war always led to casualties, and if she could prevent Gabriel from getting caught in the crossfire then she would, even at the cost of her own life.

"Yet if you could avoid it, then you would do whatever it took? I can't even think about you and Gabriel going off to battle."

Ruby bit her lip, thinking about Bela's proposition. "If Abaddon wants it, then that's up to you," she finally settled on. "But good memories... sometimes they're all someone has."

Bela smiled, "I don't need a picture to remember."

* * *

><p>Meg was waiting for them as they crossed the borderline separating her court from the Unseelie Court. The portal that lay between both courts in fact belonged to the Seelie Court, but that didn't mean the Unseelie didn't often use it to their own advantages, despite having a partially sealed off portal of their own. Ruby thought about trying again, but she knew Bela wouldn't be permitted back into her own world unless Abaddon willed it to be so.<p>

"You two are up early."

Meg glanced up at the just then slightly darkening sky, her eyes seeming to glow from within and her charcoal gray wings shimmering as darkness attempted to surround them. Ruby had always admired Meg's wings, even more so when they were wrapped around her, but after last night she realized that Bela was more beautiful to her than any faery. She didn't need wings of her own to impress and appeal to her, her eyes spoke volumes enough.

"We have something for Abaddon."

"I know," she rolled her eyes, "that's why she sent me out here. This is pretty damn early for me too, I'll have you know." Faeries were naturally weaker in sunlight, even those of the Seelie Court, who derived their energy solely from moonlight. As drawn to moonlight as they were, they could also survive in sunlight; whereas, the Unseelie thrived mainly in shadows, weakening significantly in sunlight.

Ruby smirked, "You'll deal with it."

She took a long hard look at Bela in retaliation, causing Ruby to have to tamper down her nervousness. There was no way that Meg was powerful enough to see through the mask meticulously shielding the human, but that didn't mean her wings didn't want to wrap around Bela protectively. Bela seemed to sense this, sending Meg a fake smile and then glancing over at Ruby cautiously.

The fake wings Bela bore were a light blue and they glowed brilliantly, a sharp but well-met contrast with Ruby's dark as night ones.

Meg leaned over to whisper in Bela's ear, causing her to shiver and take a step back towards Ruby. Her sharp laughter curled around the both of them just as Meg's hair curled delicately against her neck. Everything about Meg was vivid and haunting, mainly because she hadn't changed a bit since Ruby had last thrived in the Unseelie Court. Her porcelain face, her charcoal wings, dark hair and even darker eyes were only tools to torment her.

Bela was stronger than her in so many ways, stronger than Meg could ever dream, and Ruby dreamed of basking in that strength much as she had the previous night, in awe of the power the human exuded and the confidence she had for Ruby's sake alone.

"Can we get going? We're sort of on a deadline here."

Meg grinned at her, pink lips framing sharp, white teeth. "Course we can, sweet cakes." Meg attempted to push Bela between the two of them, but Ruby reacted faster and shoved Bela to the right of her, leaving Ruby in between. As much as she bristled in being next to the other faery, it was better than Bela being exposed physically to her.

Meg kept her mouth shut until they reached what Ruby deemed Abaddon's lair. It was the building at the center of the Unseelie Court, and while it had been built millenia ago for business and political purposes - not just designed for the queen's pleasure - Abaddon used it solely for her own desires and obsessions. It was where she thrived, stored human slaves and dealt with certain fey as she saw fit. It was no less menacing outside than it was inside, and Ruby wished that someday soon she would be able to stop coming there.

Ruby lead the way, making sure Bela kept close to her, but Meg's arm harshly pulled her back before she could reach the door. "Uh uh, not you. Strict orders from her majesty."

She instantly turned furious, "There is no way I am letting her walk in there on her own."

"That's right," Meg cocked her head to the side in feigned thought, "you never did share her _full_ name, did you?" She was only taunting her, but it still made Ruby want to kick her ass. It was hard to imagine that she used to be Meg, in a way, used to love the ill-intended chase.

"Meg...," she started to warn but the other faery waved her off.

"Chill out, care bear." She pushed Bela towards the closed doors and Ruby could see nothing but red for several vital seconds. She swallowed down her rage, wondering what the hell had drawn her to Meg in the first place. "I have to stay here, with you, boring myself to death." Her hands were on her hips as she shot Bela an expectant look. Bela reciprocated it, but she didn't look at Ruby, maybe knowing she would back out if she did.

Ruby didn't blame her, but her gaze still sent forth an urge for cautiousness and an extremely reluctant acceptance of the situation.

"So..." Meg gave Ruby her full attention as soon as the doors closed, Bela lost somewhere beyond them, in far more danger than she realized. "What have you been up to lately?"

She seriously considered biting her fingernails and/or punching the other faery in the face.

She fought back both urges.

* * *

><p>Ruby paced back and forth, knowing she was giving herself partly away to the dark fey who surrounded her but also not caring. She was anxious whenever Bela wasn't at her side, and there was no way she could hide it for long. Meg could read her like an open book, always could, but she was also naive and preoccupied at times, giving Ruby the advantage.<p>

An hour had passed, Meg trying to keep up agonizing conversation and Ruby throwing in a few words here or there to exercise tolerance.

The door opened - finally - slowly, barely noticeable if you weren't looking straight at it. Ruby almost thought she was imagining it, considering she had been staring at the door intensely for much of the past hour, but Bela's nervous eyes reached her own and before she could act, Meg surged forward and grabbed the human, holding her in a choke hold. Bela's panicked eyes reached her own after several moments, but Ruby could see her discreetly reaching for something in her back pocket.

"Who said you could go anywhere, pretty little _human_?"

"Let her go!" Abaddon's command shattered the intensity of the moment, and if Ruby's eyes didn't go wide at the realization that arose from Meg's causal question, then they certainly did when Abaddon shoved the door open and came striding out onto the steps. Her eyes snapped towards her new protege. "Meg."

Meg responded that time, dropping Bela quickly, causing her to lose her balance and fall. Abaddon's hand snatched out to grab the human's and she pulled her up before the backs of her legs could touch the concrete. The mask shrouding Bela was gone completely, leaving Bela vulnerable to the fey around them, who had started to creep up the second she had revealed her true presence unwillingly. Abaddon's voice had pulled them back, however.

"Your human is most interesting, Ruby." Her black eyes flashed red for a moment, and Ruby didn't like to think about what that meant. "I like her." _Good, fine... but you still can't have her._

Bela blushed, but Ruby figured it wasn't just out of embarrassment, but also a mix of fear and understanding. Ruby looked her up and down carefully, wanting to know what had gone on with the human and Abaddon.

"Come back and see me, Bela." Abaddon smiled wide in that way of hers that meant nothing good, and all Ruby could do was watch, watch as that filth laid hands on the human she cared about. "Your presence will be a real treat." Bela nodded, dazed but also in that knowing way again. Ruby didn't know how she had gotten so good at reading the human.

Meg watched them with eyes of fire as they departed, Bela stumbling down the steps in front of Ruby, the faery's hand held out in front of her in case she should lose her balance. Bela seemed shaken but she seemed relatively okay too, like everything was just peachy, which only heightened Ruby's suspicions.

She opened her mouth, but Bela looked over at her and cut her off, as she had been prone to do as of late. "I told Abaddon no." Her fingers ran through her unwashed hair. "She wanted me to stay, even offered me some prestigious position. But I told her no, I don't belong here." _Could've fooled me. _

"And she just let you?"

"No," her fingers gently touched her neck and Ruby winced at the slight bruising there. Next opportunity, she would get her hands on Meg's throat, not just for pleasure but for payback. "She said she would find some way... some way to keep me."

"We need to leave. We can't stay here..." When did all of that turn into _we_? When did Ruby suddenly put herself in Bela's place? Bela had to leave but she... she had to stay. The Seelie Court was her home. Her home wasn't Bela's. That was Ruby's home, right?

Of course, Bela wasn't privy to her thoughts. Ruby wasn't privy to the human's either, otherwise she would have known how to act and what to stay. "She released the property mark, or whatever you guys call it."

"That's good," Ruby said, and the human smiled to reassure her. "I still don't understand it though."

Bela, however, _did_. "I think I should go it alone."

Ruby's entire world froze in place in accompaniment to her form. Her wings drooped, color fading from them as well as her face. Something so little as that... it shouldn't matter so much. Yet it did. She opened her mouth, stuttering over the words, "What, why?"

The human who kept on filling her heart and then breaking it avoided eye contact. "I just think I should. I can get back okay on my own."

"Bela, just tell me what went on." The faery could see that there were so many things in Bela's past that she couldn't talk about, and she couldn't bear to think that there were things then that she couldn't talk to her about, things involving Abaddon. The slightly helpless though completely serious look on the human's face caused her to step forward.

"Nothing," she protested, "nothing went on." She shook her head in feigned amusement, "She's much less menacing than you realize."

"Okay, now I know you're joking."

"Just... thank you for all your help, Ruby. It was good to spend some extra time with you."

Good for Ruby, but apparently not good for Bela, apparently not worth mentioning or thinking about again. She was so confused as to what she wanted, as to what either of them wanted. But maybe Bela was right: stop it now before it spun even more out of control.

Bela turned her back and walked away and Ruby didn't follow, only watched as she retreated further and further into the distance.

* * *

><p>Her wings were still drooping pathetically four hours later, thick, suffocating emotions clinging to her like a storm cloud. She had no idea what to feel, no idea what to do next. Going back to before Bela had saved her and continuing her life seemed impossible. More than that, it sounded like something she didn't want.<p>

The troubled faery's eyes lifted from the cover of the book she had been staring at to look at the open door. She remembered closing it...

"Hey." Gabriel's amber eyes gazed down into her own, his warm hands grasping her immobile ones. It felt to her as if he had been gone for years, decades even. All she wanted to do was collapse into him, ignoring the sickness she felt inside. "Bela gone?"

She nodded, she had been saying the words over and over for hours. It still didn't seem real. "Castiel..."

"Will kill both of us if he finds out I'm here. But he won't." There were a few seconds of silence until Gabriel cleared his throat, willing Ruby to look up at him again. She did, and she knew she was going to regret it. "I came here for something that he can't change my mind about." His hand squeezed hers, "Listen, if you're going back to Earth then I'm coming with you."

Her eyes widened and she stood up, leaving the safe confines of the chair. "What...? Do you not remember what happened the last time we made that stupid move?" Ruby looked at him carefully for a minute, not able to understand the look of longing and hope in his eyes until it finally dawned on her. "You're not talking about the human, are you?" _Please say no please say no please say no._

"Yeah," Gabriel said nonchalantly, but it only made him look more guarded, barely controlling his emotions. "So what if I am?"

She started to panic then, not knowing the full details of what he was thinking. "Gabriel..." It was a plea and a warning, both heartbroken.

"Hey, just because you have a crush on someone doesn't mean I can't. Seriously, Rubes, that is really selfish of you." He joked, but his voice was trembling slightly underneath it. He really was serious, which was the scariest part of all. Castiel had been right in trying to keep him away. She should have kept him away too.

She cringed inwardly, "Which one?" She knew though, because he had only laid eyes on one of them.

His wings ruffled for several seconds that he couldn't control. Gabriel had fallen hard... fallen hard with just one glance. "The one who helped Bels save you. Do you... uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "do you know his name? Has she mentioned him to you?" His lips twitched and Ruby's world was tilting dangerously.

Ruby sighed shakily, really wishing she wasn't in the conversation. "Dean. His name is Dean."

"Did your human happen to say anything about him?" _Your? _Ruby could almost laugh at that.

"A little, when I asked her about her life and her friends. But I don't think you should get involved, Gabriel." She said it quickly, not wanting to explain or draw the moment out any longer than it needed to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" They looked at each other for several moments - Ruby not daring to say anything more - before she saw her best friend's face fall and watched him turn away slightly. It wasn't for long though, when he looked back at her his gaze was not only hurt but furious.

"Oh, I know exactly what that means. You think that if I start something with him then I'm going to break his heart or maybe even his neck, if I happen to be feeling it at the moment." Ruby opened her mouth to say something, to deny everything he was saying but he beat her to it. "Shut it, Ruby. I don't need to hear another word. I really thought that we were friends, you know? I was really counting on that. But I guess I should have realized that sooner or later you would step on me and toss me in the trash like I'm nothing. You know, Ruby, you really don't know anything at all about me."

Gabriel stormed off then, and Ruby opened her mouth to call out his name, but it only came out as a dry croak.

She had fucked up her life big time, thrown away the most valuable friendship she had ever had without a second thought. She had been right all along, she didn't deserve someone as good as him. Ruby was the one who inflicted pain, who feared herself losing control every damn day. Gabriel wouldn't dream of hurting anyone, especially her, even if she did deserve it.

It felt like she was being torn apart from the inside, her skin peeling away to reveal what they had always made her out to be, the one thing she had always fought against. She wasn't... couldn't be a killer. Hurting wasn't in her, tricking, maiming, torturing... the thoughts made her aura turn black.

She was out of control, anyone could see it in her pitch black eyes, darker than night. With every ounce of loyalty and strength, she shoved it deep down.

Ruby wouldn't go back to Earth, even if not doing so killed her.

* * *

><p>The dreams were unavoidable, the nightmares memories and perhaps fragments of possible futures. Meg was inside her as if she was a part of her, hands holding down her arms, mouth holding her own hostage, tongue creeping down her throat like a sickness. She searched everywhere for <em>green<em>, and when she found it she grasped it tightly, allowing it to send her spiraling back to bitter reality, back to Rhoslyn, who was standing above her with eyes the shade of pitch.

"Your betrayal has cut deep." _How the hell did she find out? _Ruby's eyes were open, but her body was frozen and her head felt like slush. "You will be forgiven given your undying loyalty to our cause; however, you _will_ permit Abaddon to keep the human."

_Bela..._

* * *

><p>Whether her form was too exhausted or her mind was holding her hostage, Ruby slept for what felt like an eternity, fighting to crawl her way out of the inky blackness. It was a test, she knew it was, a test that she would not fail.<p>

Bela was in danger, and while Ruby was still living she would do something about it.

After an hour's worth of dragging her sorry ass down the hallway and out the door, she had finally stumbled into sunshine. She was about to fall down into the soft-looking grass when Gabriel caught her and propped her up against a pillar, hovering over her to make sure she wouldn't fall. It was only for several minutes, but it was time that Ruby needed to clear her head after the hell of her dreams.

Gabriel searched her face, concern radiating off him in waves. It was concern that she didn't deserve, but yet so desperately needed. "Are you up to this?" _Up to what, dragging myself out of bed and walking around?_

"No," she admitted, sending him a look of shame, "but I'm too revved up to lie down any longer."

He pulled away a little, but didn't stop hovering. "Fair enough." Her nervous smile turned into a frown then, and her vulnerability intensified with the self-loathing she felt. She searched for the right words to say to him, words that would make everything better, but Gabriel only shook his head. "Later, Rubes. We need each other right now." She couldn't very well argue with that.

"Rhoslyn knows," she admitted pitifully, ashamed to admit that she was fighting back tears. Rhoslyn had given her a way out despite her lies and sneaking around, a generous offer she didn't deserve, but she couldn't leave Bela. She had made up her mind: a life without Bela wasn't worth living. And if her queen was throwing Bela at Abaddon, then she wasn't worth standing behind anymore.

"I know," Gabriel said gently, offering his hand and pulling her up when she took it with a smile and a nod of thanks. "Cas knows too." Gabriel motioned towards the shadows at the side of the building and a faery with dark brown wings, so dark they nearly looked black, stepped into her line of vision.

Castiel.

He stepped forward, taking his place on the other side of her, and soon Ruby had two people towering over her smaller form, making her feel safe, loved and secure. "Let's kick some ass butts."

Ruby snorted and wrapped her arms around the two of them, bringing the three of them into a hug that renewed their love, friendship and their loyalty towards one another. She had a lot of sucking up to Gabriel and Castiel to do, especially the former, but at least right at that moment she knew the two brothers were by her side, there for her every step of the way.

* * *

><p>Getting back into the Unseelie Court was easy, Abaddon's dungeons even easier - maybe too easy not to be intentional - but knocking Razor out wasn't something she had wanted to do, and neither was sending both Castiel and Gabriel from her side in order for them to do some exploring of their own.<p>

Even though she suspected that Abaddon treated Bela like some prized possession, more worthy than most human slaves, her suspicions of the human being kept in the dungeons were confirmed when she peeked inside a random cage to find a set of hazel eyes peering up at her. Immediately, cold fingers slipped through the grimy bars of the cage and grasped her own.

"Ruby." Her voice seemed to be even worse than her appearance, sounding like it had been scraped away. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.

"Hey," she said gently, not wanting to startle her. Bela was filthy and scared, and Ruby wanted more than anything to restore that fear to hope, to have it lead somewhere. "I'm here." Ruby squeezed the cold, weak fingers, her protective instincts kicking in and not only taking over her doubts, but also fueling her anger towards Abaddon and the Unseelie. "I swear, if Meg hurt you..."

Abaddon wasn't much for inflicting pain, despite occasionally enjoying getting her hands bloody. No, she had plenty at her beck and call to do the hurt for her, only so she could watch and not miss a minute of it. After Ruby, Meg had been the go-to girl.

Bela shook her head, her small smile illuminating the entire room. "Don't worry, Abaddon told me that if your friend touched me then she would have her energy purged and her wings ripped from her body." Ruby's eyes went wide at that, and she squeezed the human's hand again, her tingling fingers caressing her soft skin. Bela licked her lips, "Listen..."

But it was time for Ruby to talk, time for Ruby to prove herself. "Everyone's been telling me to listen lately. Honestly, I'm getting really fucking sick of hearing it."

"I love you," Bela shot out. "I know I made it seem like it wasn't real, that we just did something that didn't have any meaning behind it. I care about you though," her eyes went soft and her face pressed against the bars, "which is why I lied to you, which is why I couldn't go back."

"You don't... you don't owe me anything."

That's why Bela hadn't wanted her to follow, because she wasn't planning on going back in the first place. She had straight out told Ruby that Abaddon wanted her, and she had been too stupid not to realize what she should have. Bela imagined she could save them, save _her, _but her whole world was set to self-destruct and no one could change that.

"I do. I owe you the truth. I want to be with you, Ruby... whatever your last name is." Ruby laughed, her fingers gripping Bela's so fiercely that she was surprised she wasn't breaking them. She wasn't letting go of Bela, not then, not ever again. "Even if you're a faery and I'm a human, even if most of your kind are out to kill me and I'm nothing but a thief."

"Even if all you are is a thief, you're _my_ thief."

"I had a feeling you were going to say that."

The sharp clanking of a key being slipped into a lock startled her out of her reverie and Ruby whirled around, her hands automatically going towards the creature's throat. She pushed it up against the nearest wall, her fingernails digging into the soft skin of its neck.

"Ruby!" She heard a voice somewhere far off but she couldn't stop. Whoever she was holding was a threat to Bela, but it didn't feel that way anymore when an arm wrapped around her waist and attempted to pull her back. "Ruby, stop this! Open your eyes." The last three words appealed to her somewhat, and she fought to focus.

She recognized the face, it belonged to Sam Winchester.

Her hands retreated along with her body, her entire form shaking with excess adrenaline; she really needed to chill. Behind her was a freed Bela, who was looking at Ruby with relief as she rubbed her wrists.

"Sorry about that, Sam. Got a little carried away."

Sam was breathing heavily, but the corner of his mouth upturned into a shocked smile. "Just trying to help, that's all." He looked behind her at Bela, "Dean and I got your message. Sorry we're late."

Ruby's eyebrows rose, "Message?" Bela certainly didn't have any problems going behind her back. Ruby's world wasn't even her own, and yet she seemed more than comfortable in it. Ruby couldn't help but think if she'd been there before... She banished the thought, knowing there was plenty of time to question the human later.

"Castiel went through the portal to explain what had happened to me. I gave him a message before I went back to Aba..."

The heavy concrete door slammed open then, cutting Bela off mid-sentence, and in strode none other than Meg Masters, right where she no doubt imagined she belonged. Ruby suspected it would come sooner or later, the big show down with both her ex and the faery who had taken her place in nearly every way. They'd spent years dancing around each other from a distance, waiting for the moment where they would prove themselves. That seemed like a fitting moment.

"Aw," she sighed dramatically, the grin only darkening her dark enough features, "don't tell me I missed the party."

There was no more time.

"Bela," she never took her eyes off her ex, "go now." She didn't need to see what was about to happen, didn't need to see the two of them going at each other, tearing each other apart in every way they could: ripped wings, torn skin, drained auras. One of them wouldn't make it out alive. She had trained Meg, prepared her for fights such as the one they were about to engage in, and it would be her turn to show Ruby what she had learned over the decades.

It wasn't a bit hard for her to get pumped up despite her prior relationship with Meg, every part of it out of control. She was a threat to Bela, and threats to Bela had to be snuffed out.

She didn't expect Bela to argue. "No, I won't. You need my help."

"Bela!" Her sharp voice silenced even her own roiling emotions. "Go find Gabe and Cas, and get the hell out of here while you still can."

Sam was already waiting for her by the door, which Meg had retreated from in favor of cornering Ruby. "Come on! We need to get out of here."

As soon as the door was closed, Ruby surged forward to attack Meg; she was ready though, tangling a hand in Ruby's hair and yanking. Ruby gritted her teeth to prevent herself from yelping, and was able to catch her breath again when Meg shoved her away.

She laughed, grating laughter that clawed at Ruby's nerves, setting her skin on fire. Then she saw the knife in Meg's hand.

Her lip curled in disappointment, "I thought you were waiting for this moment, Meggins, so why rush it and start off with a knife fight?"

The other faery dropped the blade, "I like your thinking." She rushed at her this time, but Ruby was ready, dodging her easily and then slamming a hand into her back. Meg cried out, lashing out at Ruby's wing in retaliation, fingernails digging into the sensitive muscle for only a moment before Ruby got a hold on her neck and squeezed tightly, sending her down to her knees.

She liked the power she felt over Meg, but it wasn't to last for long.

Without warning, as soon as her hold on Meg's neck slipped due to the distraction her burning wing caused, Meg slipped under her and got a hold of her hair again. She felt an immediate slash across the back of her neck, and she knew it wasn't from any fingernail.

Everything sped up then, an endless series of dodges and punches and pain, of that damn knife jabbed in Ruby's face as a taunt and then slamming down into her leg. She had screamed from that, but the pain and the rage the action caused led her to push herself harder, landing a few good punches in to well-thought out places until Meg had the knife across her throat.

She tried to flip her once and failed, her teeth aching to sink into the skin of her hand. She felt blood-red panic then, making her breathe hard and her vision start to go black. She had to get out of there before she lost consciousness.

"End of the road, Ruby red."

She hated that nickname.

She tried to flip her twice and failed again, Meg laughing at the faery caught in her trap. She tried a third time and succeeded, causing Meg to yelp as she sailed over Ruby and then slammed into the ground. The blade was against _her_ neck then, pressed up without mercy against the soft skin of her throat. "Kill me then." Meg was egging her on, but no one could get her to do anything, not ever again. "I've already proven myself to you."

"All you've proven," Ruby gritted out, "was that you know how to fight dirty. There's no honor in that, Meg." She dropped the knife, forced Meg over her back and then threw her into the nearest cell, shutting the door, finding the keys in the dirt and locking her inside.

She tuned her out as she walked out of the dungeons, only searching for one voice among the chaos as she strode through the empty main hall and retreated outside. Chaos wasn't even the right word though, both Seelie and Unseelie fey were battling it out.

Ruby never got the memo.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye where there had once been stillness. It was a ways away from where she came out, and the door slammed open to reveal Dean supporting a bruised and battered Gabriel. The state of her friend worried her, but Dean noticed her and nodded, encouraging her to go do what she needed to. She nodded back, knowing she owed Dean a helluva lot.

Ruby rushed into the chaos without thinking, tearing a wing off a dark fey within moments and capturing the blade he once carried. She preferred to fight skin against skin, but fighting bare-handed wasn't an option in that fight. It was easy to distinguish her kind from the Unseelie, the Seelie bore brighter, more iridescent wings, their auras were also unclouded even in the heat of battle. Given her origins were not Seelie, her aura wasn't as unclouded as it should have been, but she could only hope that her kind still recognized her, or at least still believed that she was on their side.

Bela was more skilled with a blade than she realized. She popped up beside her before Ruby could even continue searching for her, looking the human up and down for a brief moment that she also used to catch her breath. The next faery who came up to Bela lost both its wings in a millisecond, courtesy of Ruby's outrage.

"Everything go okay?"

"Sure."

Bela stared at her intently, "Did you kill her?"

"Didn't have to." She switched places with Bela and they continued on, the human jumping in front of her more times than Ruby would admit with her pride still intact. Bela Talbot was definitely a force to be reckoned with, fierce and confident and unrelenting. Ruby could sit back and watch her all day.

She couldn't tell who was winning, not even by the time she realized that it wasn't her fight.

It just wasn't her home anymore.

She had been kidding herself all that time, but there was nothing for her there, no hope or silver lining, only a life without Bela Talbot, the human who had stole her heart, tore it to bits and then glued it back together again.

"Let's get out of here!" She shouted over the cacophony; if it wasn't then, it would be never.

Bela turned to her in confusion, "What are you talking about?" Without her even asking, and with no coherent reason at all, Bela had chosen to fight alongside her, in a world she didn't belong to and didn't even know. Ruby was touched, but not touched enough to let her die where she felt she didn't even belong anymore.

"Because, Bela, I don't want to be here. We're never going to win, we're just going to end up dead here."

Apparently, that sunk into the human's thick skull and she nodded, following Ruby off the battlefield and up the hill. She hadn't caught sight of the other four in the past hour, so she figured they were already waiting for the two of them outside the cave. They weren't far, only a few miles...

Within a mere second, she was torn off the ground and went soaring through the air. She reached out for something to grasp onto to stop her descent, but her outstretched fingers only grasped air before her back slammed into something hard and she blacked out.

Blood was oozing out of a cut on her forehead, and it was pouring out of her mouth too, black blood that she could almost see her wretched reflection in. She was _useless_. Ruby picked herself up off the ground, spitting out as much of the blood swirling around in her mouth as she could. Through her hazy reflection she could see Bela on the ground, bright red hair brushing against her cut up face.

Good, she had only been out for a few precious seconds...

Without looking at her approaching savior, Bela's head lifted up to lock the Unseelie Queen in a bruising kiss, giving Ruby the time she needed to creep up and slam a rock into the back of her skull. The queen's wings crumpled to the dirt, as well as her body. Good riddance.

Ruby didn't stick around long enough to see if she was dead, pulling Bela up and dragging her along beside her instead.

"My gun!"

Ruby spit out more blood, "Forget about your damn gun!"

"That gun was a masterpiece." Ruby ignored her in favor of pressing her aching body onward. The caves were in sight finally, and when they rushed through them and reached the other side, then Bela would be safe.

A shot rang out in the quiet night and the warm body pressed tightly against her own slipped suddenly downward, quickly out of her hold. Ruby turned abruptly, only to see Bela's eyes flutter and her breath come out in sharp, pained gasps. She tried to slow her descent, feeling warm liquid seep both out of Bela's back and stomach.

The bullet had gone through, but the blood loss would soon enough become severe.

She panicked, lowering the both of them to the ground, one hand supporting the human's head as they descended. When they were sprawled out on the grass, both hands cupped her face gently, willing Bela to look at her. The disorientation was immediate though, and Bela's eyes alternated between closing and opening, settling finally on the former. Her hand pressed against the human's stomach and that beautiful mouth opened to gasp in pain. When she pulled her hand away it was red, as red as Abaddon's hair.

"Hmm, interesting." Ruby's gaze tore upward, watching as Abaddon admired the handiwork on the gun before letting it slip out of her fingers and to the ground. The smile on her face allowed the blind rage to boil in her, hot and fierce, heavy and heady.

"You've let a beautiful face go to such waste, Ruby. I did warn you all those years ago, don't you remember?"

Tears came unbidden to her eyes and they fell, soaking Bela's marred features. She looked so beautiful there, underneath the moon, despite the bruises on her face and the light draining from her eyes. She looked so beautiful in Ruby's arms.

She glanced back up at Abaddon, the tears clouding her vision once more. All she had to see was red hair to know who her enemy was.

"You've forgotten one thing, Abaddon."

Abaddon wasn't as smart as she thought she was, and as everyone believed her to be. All this time she had believed her prior protege to be distracted, inconsolable and rendered useless by her grief, rage and sense of hopelessness. Yet all that time, hands pressed tightly to ruptured skin so as to seem to cease the flow of blood, Ruby had been sending piece after piece of her own aura into Bela's form in order to try to heal her.

She didn't know if it would work, didn't know if it could be done in time, but if Ruby was anything it was determined.

The queen's eyes shifted from black to red. Blood-lust. "What's that?"

She smiled even as she felt Bela stop breathing beneath her, "Long live the queen." Dean Winchester tapped on Abaddon's shoulder, and it was the only warning she got before he rammed the sword through her chest, causing her eyes to go wide and her mouth to open in a high-pitched scream and her aura to explode in a dizzying display of blood-red. Her body started to erupt then, her eyes going wider and wider until they ruptured in her skull, thick, black blood oozing out of the sockets and making Ruby want to choke. Abaddon's head burst like a balloon, sharp and sudden, and her wings exploded like fireworks, lighting up the night around them.

The queen's body dropped to the ground, wingless and headless, and Ruby gulped in a large amount of air.

Abaddon's body disintegrated to nothing moments later.

When fey died, there was nothing left but ash and dust; they went back into the earth, aiding nature even if they had rebelled against it while thriving. Despite all the destruction Abaddon had caused, despite the fact that she was finally gone and could aid the earth, Ruby didn't think nature could appreciate her presence in their soil.

"The queen is dead," Dean merely mused, sliding the fey-killing knife in his back pocket. Ruby stared at him in much appreciated horror, Bela coming back to life underneath her.

With Bela safe, Ruby finally allowed herself to give into the ever-creeping darkness held hostage deep down inside of her.

* * *

><p>Memories came to her like fragments of past lives, and consciousness came even slower than that, out of reach for millenia until Ruby finally caught sight of it and held onto it for dear life, praying the nothingness with the anticipation of pain would end and that she would be taken somewhere familiar. It should be enough to know that Bela was safe, but she wanted to see her awake with her own two eyes.<p>

If that was her last image, then so be it.

She opened her eyes to a white ceiling, and there was nothing more than that pure white for a while until she tried to move. Agonizing pain shot through her, she didn't know where it ended and where it began. There was a sharp pressure in her chest, and her face felt like the skin was being flayed off. Every limb hurt and as a captive of that pain, she didn't know whether she'd ever be alright again.

The only thing that wasn't hurting was her wings; in fact, she couldn't even feel them.

Ruby surged upward, ignoring the pain in favor of pure, unadulterated panic. Her wings were what made her who she was, they were what gave her an endless source of pride and confidence. Living without her wings... it was unthinkable.

Castiel was the first to greet her, his arms carefully though forcefully pushing Ruby back down onto the bed. Where the hell was she?

"It's okay," he soothed. "Your wings are perfectly fine." She never could figure out just how he was able to read her mind, but she appreciated it more than she could say then. His index finger brushed against one of her feathers as proof, and it sent a wonderful ripple throughout Ruby's form.

With Castiel there, she finally found the strength to look around the room, glancing towards the doorway first. His face was turned to the side, but Gabriel soon filled up her entire world.

He was _okay_.

Ruby sat up when she noticed the sad expression on Gabriel's face, wondering if Dean had been caught in the crossfire. He lit up when he noticed she was awake though, not to mention that Dean popped up behind him, causing her to relax back into the incredibly soft pillows.

"Gabe...," she rasped out. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, and she had no idea where to begin.

He held up a hand to stop her, "I'm glad you're okay, Rubes. Scared me half to death."

"Yeah, sorry about that..." She finally caught sight of Bela by the window and trailed off, trying to gauge the human's expression. Gabriel seemed to notice that they wanted some time alone, or if he didn't then Castiel glancing in his direction, giving him a look Ruby couldn't see, must have convinced him.

Gabriel turned towards Dean, "Come on, kiddo. Let's go get some pie and ice cream to celebrate."

"You know about pie?" Dean asked, his adorably stunned expression lighting up the tense atmosphere of the room. Ruby laughed, and it made her feel better in a lot of ways. Dean was okay in her book, he had most likely saved Gabriel's life, after all. Plus, Ruby didn't dare ignore the look of affection on her best friend's face whenever his eyes found Dean. He was in love, and if Ruby blamed him for that then she had to blame herself too.

"Of course I do, numb skull. Where do you think I've lived, under a rock?"

Dean's face lit up even further as Gabriel wrapped his arm around him and wheeled him away. Ruby smiled as she watched the two of them leave; Gabriel had found his happy ending, even with Ruby worrying about him in the back of her mind all that time.

How Bela felt after all that happened... that was a different story.

Bela got up off the window seat, and when Ruby glanced outside the window she didn't recognize a thing. She pushed the pressing questions out of her mind, needing her full attention to be on Bela. Nothing else mattered but _Bela_.

She paced the room for a moment before settling on the edge of Ruby's bed.

"What I said before," Bela breathed, "it wasn't just in the moment. It was the truth. I think I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you. I was tracking those humans that night, they've been after faeries before. Usually, I don't just jump in like that though. But when I saw you..., I guess I just couldn't stop myself. You were too beautiful to be hurt like that. The way you were looking at me... no one ever looked at me like that before." She shrugged, smiling down at her, a smile that took away all of Ruby's fear and pain and doubt. "I guess I took it to heart."

The faery ran her fingers through Bela's hair for several long moments, the human leaning into the touch and making Ruby feel all warm and healed inside.

"We made it back." Bela closed her eyes, hand closing around Ruby's when it settled on her cheek. They felt solace in each other, a freedom and a love that neither had experienced before. For the first time in her life, Ruby was content.

There was something at the back of her mind however, and it tugged at her subconscious unrelentingly, giving no room for anything else to breathe. She let it out, knowing there'd be consequences. "There's something I have to tell you."

"What?" Bela pushed, her eyes snapping open and her stance going slightly rigid. Ruby didn't know how she could put her through this, but then again, Bela was much tougher than met the eye. She would just have to trust that she would be strong enough. So Ruby took a deep breath and pressed on, shocking even herself at her admission.

"I think I'm becoming human."

**FIN**


End file.
